To break the hold of the Umno elite, Malays have to join Pakatan

Bad news for Prime Minister Najib Razak on the 1st day of the PAS General Assembly or Muktamar!

Right from the onset of the 57th Muktamar which is being held from 3rd June to 5th June, its president Ustaz Hadi Awang has reiterated the PAS stand to remain solidly in Pakatan Rakyat together with PKR and DAP.

In his opening address, Ustaz Hadi also talked at length about PAS' concept of the Welfare State and how the party intends to look after the needs of the poor and the marginalised should Pakatan come to power by capturing Putrajaya in the 13th General Election.

This commitment from Ustaz Hadi stating that PAS will remain in Pakatan must surely be a big blow for Prime Minister Najib Razak who has been trying to get PAS to join UMNO under the Unity Government Concept.

Final nail

Since the collapse of BN's Selangor state government in the March 2008 political tsunami, it has been revealed that UMNO was trying to forge an anagreement with PAS with regards to the administration in the state of Selangor. But that effort came to nought.

Selangor is being helmed by Pakatan Rakyat under the PKR leadership.

In the 56th Muktamar held in June 2009, PAS reaffirmed its stand to remain in Pakatan Rakyat and reiterated the same stand in the current 57th Muktamar with Ustaz Hadi calling on all the PAS leaders, members and supporters to be ready for the coming general election once the Muktamar concludes on Sunday.

He also emphasized that PAS must spare no effort in going all out to defend the 4 Pakatan-helmed states of Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor and also in the same breath urged everyone in PAS to work harder to gain the support of the whole Malaysian population.

Ustaz Hadi's speech is the final nail in the coffin in regards to Najib's efforts in attempting to get PAS to join the BN fold.

Selfish offer

PAS Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar told Malaysia Chronicle that UMNO's offer was a "selfish" one. He used an analogy saying that each time UMNO has difficulty in breathing, they will look for oxygen from PAS. But this time, all UMNO will get is carbon-dioxide, if not the more deadly carbon monoxide!

Najib knows that strategically he can gain a lot in getting PAS to join BN, and thus he does not bother tuppence what MCA, MIC or the rest of the BN component parties think of this move of his.

But 3rd June 2011 must go down in history for he must come to the realization that all his countless attempts to woo PAS has been met with failure and thus it is futile to harp on this topic anymore or make anymore overtures to PAS leaders.

All things un-Islamic

PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad stressed that there is no way that PAS will join up with UMNO as UMNO is doing all things un-Islamic and committing sins against Islam.

It is worth noting that whenever MCA president Chua Soi Lek makes some derogatory comments on Islam and this has occurred quite a number of times, UMNO does not censure him. This shows that UMNO is not so much concerned about Islam but more concerned about getting Malay votes.

UMNO wants to use PAS to secure the votes of all the Malays in Malaysia. By forging an alliance with PAS, they have no more need of the non-Malay support which their partners in BN (MCA, MIC and Gerakan) find difficulty in obtaining.

UMNO have done their math well. They know that as Malays are the majority, it is vital to secure 100% Malay support. But if the Opposition can obtain 50% Malay support plus the non-Malay support, then the Opposition are within striking chance of winning Putrajaya in the coming general election.

But Umno members welcome to join Pakatan

Finally, according to Husam Musa, an economics expert in the Kelantan State Exco, PAS Kelantan Menteri Besar, Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat who has been helming Kelantan for 20 years has a very good suggestion for UMNO in regards to Muslim Unity.

The PAS Spiritual Adviser has mentioned that as PAS is an Islamic party and UMNO wants to forge Muslim Unity, it is better for UMNO to dissolve and all its leaders and members join up with PAS and Pakatan.

Isn't this the better solution?

For fed-up UMNO members unable to do much against the might of their elite leaders, suddenly, joining the Pakatan parties of DAP, PAS and Pakatan is starting to seem really attractive. It may be the only way to save themselves, their children, their race and religion.

- Malaysia Chronicle