The Malaysian Insight

PAKATAN Harapan (PH) is unfit to be the government and lead the country because the coalition is dominated by non-Muslim parties, said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

He said today’s government is weak because it is not led by a Malay-Muslim party.

“PH is hopeless because its position is very weak. The biggest party in GE15 was PN (Perikatan Nasional). PAS won 43 seats, Bersatu 34 seats.

“DAP won 49 seats, PKR won 39 seats, 11 (of the winners) were non-Malays, so it is actually dominated by non-Muslims.

“It’s a pact that doesn’t suit the majority of the Malaysian community, which are the Malay-Muslims,” he said at a press conference at the Terengganu International Summit 2023 today. 

Hadi was commenting on his previous statement regarding the offer for PAS to join the unity government.

Defending his statement, Hadi said the offer came to him after the general election, not recently.

He said as a party with Malay-Muslims’ support, he is often approached by political “brokers” who make partnership offers.

“It is true many political ‘brokers’ came, from within the country and abroad, but they don’t want to admit it.

“And I rejected these foreign political brokers because they do not understand our country’s policies, the majority of whom are Malay-Muslims,” he said.

Hadi said only Perikatan Nasional (PN) has political power currently.

“PAS is very flexible to cooperation, because Malaysia needs to be led by Malay-Muslims and not non-Muslims.

“While they (PH) created the concept of Malaysian Malaysia… This concept contradicts the principles of PAS,” he said.

Political analysts previously said without the support of a Malay party, the current government will not be stable as the majority of the country’s population is Malay.

They said that previously, Umno was the backbone of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government and it helped stabilise the administration, but the party is increasingly losing Malay support, including in the last general election.

As of July 2022, statistics showed the Malay population stood at 57.7%, Chinese at 22.8%, and Indians at 6.6%. Bumiputeras made up 12.2% of the populace.

After the last general election, PH formed a unity government with BN and parties from Sabah and Sarawak.

The coalition, however, is said to not have the Malay vote, as Malay people are choosing to back Bersatu and PAS in PN. – June 1, 2023.