The Malaysian Insight

PAS grassroots members want Muafakat Nasional and Perikatan Nasional to continue working together as they fear Pakatan Harapan will win the general election otherwise.

They conceded it could be tricky to maintain the partnership because of older PAS members’ aversion to cooperation with Umno, whom they perceive to be an old enemy.

 PAS grassroot member Ahmad Fahmi Mokhtar said the younger people prefer their leaders to continue working with Umno and PN parties.

“We do not want PN and MN to be divided. We do not want the Malays to be split. PAS cannot choose one over the other,” said Fahmi.

 He said the three parties must stay together no matter what.

“It will be a winning combination for the Malays and we will be able to win more seats, especially at the federal level.”

The 30-year-old believe his older party colleagues to be more receptive to the idea of PN than MN.

“The older members, those in their 50s and above, they reject Umno. They welcome PN probably because the party does not have a long history with Bersatu like it does with Umno,” he said.

He did not rule out a fresh outbreak of animosity between PAS and Umno members following recent developments.

“There have been incidents of laying blame and unhappiness again causing tension in the relationship.

“In the early days of MN, at the rank and file level, we had a good relationship and we could have joint programmes. Now the ties are fraught again,” Fahmi said.

Umno leaders had openly criticised their Islamist partner over the weekend over the latter’s refusal to choose between PN and MN.

At the Umno AGM on Sunday, party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had questioned PAS’ loyalty to the MN charter it signed in 2019.

Zahid said Umno and PAS had agreed to hold off joining other political coalitions but PAS had aligned itself with PN which is led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Another PAS member, Razlan Muda, 42, said the party grassroots do not mind working with either MN or PN although it is more comfortable with PN as Umno has been inconsistent in its behaviour.

“Both are okay, but if you look at what is happening now, we would be better off with PN,” he said.

Razlan said PAS members can easily accept Bersatu because the party is not as arrogant as Umno.

“Umno is arrogant because the members think it is strong. Umno wants to dominate but we want a friend, not a boss,” he said.

On Umno’s criticism of PAS at its AGM, Razlan said the party’s actions are not surprising.

He said PAS is well aware of the underlying threat in the statements uttered by the Umno leaders.

“We are familiar with politics, we know that Umno is just a bully. If we don’t entertain them, they will turn around.

“They want PAS to make a choice but we need not please them.”

Umno’s Youth and Puteri wing leaders had added pressure on PAS leaders at the weekend event.

Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki in his closing speech at the meeting urged PAS to take a stand.

A PAS member in his 30s, who identified himself as Ibrahim, said MN and PN cannot afford to fight because it will destroy the unity of the ummah.

He said PAS, Umno and Bersatu need to work out their differences.

“Umno is being too emotional. Things can change in the next four months.

“We have to find a solution together. We do not want to divide the Malay parties. We are worried that we may lose the election and DAP will be the government,” he said.

On PAS’ relationship with Umno in Terengganu, he said there are factions within each party with opposing views on MN.

“It’s true that there are some who support the pact and some who don’t, but that’s a small issue as most PAS members are obedient to their leaders.

“And if some Umno leaders are complaining, we see that behaviour as normal.

“We understand they were previously the government so when they don’t get what they want, they will make it an issue but that’s just a petty matter.” – March 31, 2021.