Why is PAS still flirting with Umno?
By Deborah Loh, The Nut Graph
Nasharuddin Mat Isa, re-elected as PAS's deputy president today, said the party would never make a unilateral decision on major policies without consulting the rest of its allies. In other words, the party is in the same boat with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politically, but is keeping the door to dialogue with Umno open
Nasharuddin beat his closest competitor, Datuk Husam Musa by 199 votes in a race shaped by a proposal for a unity government with Umno by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
However, he scored less than 50% of the total votes thanks to a third contender, Mohamad Sabu, whose 261 votes combined with Husam's 281 comprised about 56% of votes cast.
Nasharuddin, a religious teacher and former comparative law lecturer in Universiti Islam Antarabangsa and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said the "door to dialogue with any political party or non-governmental organisation will never be closed".
He said talks with Umno would be for the betterment of society, and any major issue that arose would first be discussed with partners Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and DAP before a decision is made.
"We will only talk [with Umno] on issues that benefit the country. It never arose that PAS would join Umno or BN," Nasharuddin said at a press conference after the results of the party election were announced.
He said he remained committed to PR as it was PAS's stand to enhance cooperation with the rest of the alliance.
Asked categorically if he would continue pursuing a unity government with Umno, he replied: "I will pursue the need for PAS to talk to all."
What's the agenda?
Some questions emerge from the PAS muktamar stemming from the unity government proposal.
Why would PAS, now at its most popular with support even from non-Muslims, wish to extend a hand to arch-rival Umno?
Since PAS has declared its political loyalty to the PR, what's in it for the Islamist party by bridging gaps with Umno?
Coinciding with this, there are calls from delegates at the muktamar for PAS to take the lead in the PR instead of playing second fiddle to PKR.
These questions have so far not been adequately answered. It is thus open to speculation that another path for the party is to eliminate the differences between Umno and PAS, and concentrate on the similarities: Islam and Malay Malaysian unity.
