Why is PAS striving for PM-ship when the country cannot tolerate a theocratic state?

“Some PAS members believe that striving for PAS to be the No. 1 in PN will lead to Berrsatu members joining PAS because one of the main draws of Bersatu is the PM office”

(Focus Malaysia) – IN light of Gerakan president Dominic Lau Hoe Chai having made it clear that Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is the coalition’s candidate for the Prime Minister (PM) post, PAS might be left in a quandary for harbouring such tall ambition.

Lau was responding to PAS flexing its muscles through its spiritual leader Hashim Jasin (main image, right), who claimed that the Islamist party is more qualified to spearhead the coalition.

Reacting to the stance of Gerakan which is deemed the smallest entity in the core PN coalition, political analyst/commentator James Chin deemed that PAS had expected Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin to succeed Muhyiddin but when that did not materialise, it has to take matter into its own hands,

“PAS supports Hamzah as PM candidate for it is aware that Muhyiddin is losing support among Malay voters who do not see him returning as Prime Minister (PM) In fact, most of the Malay ground says he should retire,” penned the Professor of Asian Studies at University of Tasmania in a Facebook post.

“PAS wants to observe how its supporters react to its campaign for the PM seat. Many PAS voters don’t understand why their party is allowing Bersatu to lead when the latter has fewer than 20 MPs (in contrast to PAS’ 49 seats).

“Moreover, some Bersatu MPs are in name only because they have pledged to support DSAI (Prime Miniter Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim).”

Above all else, Chin reckoned that PAS is testing the waters “whether Dr Sam (Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar) is acceptable to all Malaysians as PAS PM”.

“A PAS faction claims that if PAS wins 50% of the Malay vote in GE16 (slated in early 2028), UMNO will be annihilated in Malay districts,” revealed Chin who is also a senior fellow and the director of Governance Studies at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia at Sunway University.

“The only chance for PAS to obtain 50% of the Malay vote which shall mark the end of the Madani government is to mobilise supporters under the tagline ‘PAS for PM’.”

Moreover, Chin said the current PAS thinking is backed by reality in that “younger Malay voters are increasingly gravitating toward PAS and they will make up the majority of voters in Peninsular Malaysia in GE16”.

“Some PAS members believe that striving for PAS to be the No. 1 in PN will lead to Berrsatu members joining PAS because one of the main draws of Bersatu is the PM office,” he revealed.

“PAS’s religious leadership seeks to strengthen its position because they don’t trust PAS technocrats. They are concerned that if TGHA (Tan Sri Hadi Awang) dies, the technocrats will take over.”

Added Chin: “Some in PAS argue that given all the Malay talent is now in PAS, it’s time for the Islamist party to take over the PN leadership. The change is only to reflect reality because the population already sees PN as PAS-led.”