It’s not for Hadi to decide PAS’ future

One must remember that the party's grassroots include many devoted followers of the late Nik Aziz.

COMMENT

The flirtation between Umno and PAS seems to be nearing its climax, with leaders of both parties now raising the pitch of their talk about “political cooperation” and the need for Muslims nationwide to band together under one banner.

PAS and Umno have been down this road before, and it ended with the former PAS spiritual leader, the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Mat, vowing never again to work with the country’s biggest Malay party.

The Islamist party has been one of Umno’s sternest critics over the years, but in recent times, the conservative section of the party has leaned towards mending bridges for the sake of future cooperation. With the rise of the ulamas and conservative figures in the party following the demise of Nik Aziz, it seems all caution has been tossed to the wind and party president Abdul Hadi Awang is charging forward aggressively towards a partnership with Umno.

However, as analyst Shahbudin Husin has pointed out, Hadi must first gain the approval of the party’s grassroots, many of whom were devoted followers of the late Tok Guru and shared his distaste for Umno.

Hadi is scheduled to speak at a briefing for PAS members this weekend, and Shahbudin expects him to try to persuade the rank and file to buy into his vision for the party.

Among those he must convince are three of PAS’ most prominent leaders, namely, Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Man, Vice-President Idris Ahmad and Selangor PAS Commissioner Iskandar Abdul Samad. These three have been steadfast in their position against the talk of Umno and PAS joining forces. It is safe to assume that many among the rank and file will stand with them unless Hadi has convincing arguments to show that cooperation with Umno is the better option.

This presents us with an interesting situation. What happens if PAS, as a party, decides that it does not want to cooperate with Umno? Shahbudin says the party’s grassroots are not likely to forget their traditional enmity with Umno.

That would leave Hadi with a limited array of options, thanks to his recent political manoeuvres, which have left the Islamist party with precious few allies on the left.

One of the options will be for PAS to establish itself as a party independent of any ties with any other political organisation. It is certainly strong enough despite having lost its progressives to Amanah, and it has appeal in the Malay heartland, where the influence of DAP and PKR is less pervasive than in the cities. However, PAS will not be satisfied with just taking the heartland, and going down this path sets up inevitable three-corner fights during the next general election. It’s hard to say who would come up on top if PAS and Umno were to clash for the heart and soul of the Malays.

It is safe to say that the next GE will revolve around the woes of the country’s majority race, and PAS and Umno see cooperation as mutually beneficial in each other’s struggle to capture the base. But with Malaysia standing at a cultural crossroads as Vision 2020 approaches, we may see a conflict between Amanah on one side and PAS and Umno on the other over the direction the Malays should take.

Whether or not PAS and Umno decide to join forces and whether or not such a union will yield positive results for either party remains to be seen. However, as much as Hadi wishes it were otherwise, it is the grassroots of PAS that will determine whether their president will be able to go through with his gamble. And indeed, it is a gamble. PAS has isolated itself on the opposition side, and Umno’s partners in BN are protesting against the idea of a PAS-Umno cooperation.

In the end, it would seem, whatever mice and men may propose, it is still God who disposes.