Flurry of PAS-Umno talks: Once again an unmerry go-round the bush

 There are signs of talks between PAS and Umno at the approach of an election cycle, but it’s mostly form over substance.

From Terence Netto

Reports of PAS and Umno talking to each other ought to strike observers as nothing new.

It’s the approach of another election cycle and the need for the biggest two Malay-Muslim political parties to make it seem each is more interested in conciliation over contestation, collaboration over competition.

It’s the necessity of form over substance for reason that the charade plays well before a Malay-Islamic public that is perceived as being impressed that Muslim unity matters more than individual party gain.

So, behind the façade of talking to each other, they can camouflage a determination to be the principal owners of the Malay-Muslim vote, an intent that inherently foments division.

With regards to Johor, it is more advantageous to PAS to display a stance of being amenable because the party trails Umno by far in the electoral sweepstakes.

Johor is the birthplace of Umno and so the party of Malay nationalism (Umno) is loath to cede ground to its Islamist rival.

Johor, also, has a large Chinese population which is famously averse to the Islamic fundamentalism of PAS.

Hence PAS will want to seem conciliatory to Umno while the latter, presently on a revivalist phase after the setbacks in recent electoral cycles, will not want to spurn the overtures.

If anything, Umno will use the overtures to accentuate its revival.

But unity between the two parties is only feasible when both face an adversary that has beaten them to the levers of federal power.

This occurred when Pakatan Harapan, together with Bersatu, won the general election of May 2018.

That result was the force behind Umno and PAS getting together as Muafakat Nasional (MN) in 2019, a rare congruence of interests.

But when PAS decided to team up with Bersatu in February 2020 to form a new coalition that had the parliamentary majority to wield federal power, MN fell by the wayside.

The episode taught both parties they are likely to do what is expedient for them to gain power at any one time.

The reason for that is both are competitors for the Malay vote and will collaborate or separate as and when their interests impel them.

Bonds of common race and religion are not strong enough to trump divergent political interests.

The latest flurry of speculation about the possibility of cooperation between Umno and PAS reflect the triumph of form over substance. - FMT

Terence Netto is a senior journalist and an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.