The Malaysian Insight

A PACT between PAS and Umno will win more popular votes than Pakatan Harapan in the next general election, said the party’s ulama chief in justifying the pact.

Dewan Ulama chief Mahfodz Mohamad said this is based on a rough analysis on the amount of popular votes PH received in the 14th general election as compared to the votes garnered separately by Umno and PAS.  

PH garnered about five million votes in GE14 while Umno received about four million votes and PAS, 2.3 million, said Mahfodz in his policy speech at the opening of the wing’s assembly in Kuantan today. 

“If our cooperation with Umno is successful, 65% of the Malay-Muslim votes should be collected in one bloc.”

In its second annual assembly after GE14, the PAS top leadership, including its influential ulama, are pushing for party members to put aside enmity with Umno and to unite to defeat PH in the next general election.

PAS ulama have branded the PH government as even worse than the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government.

Mahfodz said a PAS-Umno tie-up was giving PH leaders nightmares, and is the reason why the ruling coalition’s leaders had branded PAS as the Taliban, after the feared Afghan militant group.

“This is why PH has called us labels and attempted to scare non-Muslims about PAS, especially now that that the people are angry with PH for reneging on their manifesto.”

Mahfodz lists other reasons why PH must be stopped at the next general election:

• Tabung Haji’s lowest dividend rate of 1.25% in recent history.
• A DAP senator’s proposal to remove the term Islam from the identity cards.
• The unresolved death of fireman Muhammad Adib Kassim during a riot at the Seafield temple in Selangor.
• A buka puasa event hosted by Johor Baru MP Akmal Nasir at a gudwara.
• The attempted ratification of an international treaty against racial discrimination and one which would make Malaysia a part of the International Criminal Court. – June 20, 2019.