PAS’ ideology and dismal performance a liability for Umno

 

From Ibrahim M Ahmad

With the 15th general election approaching, political parties will be scrambling behind the scenes to cement pacts capable of securing a majority in the Dewan Rakyat to form the next administration.

Holding only 37 of the 112 seats required for a simple majority, Umno’s grip on power is tenuous.

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The current government which it leads – a multi-coalition patchwork randomly put together – only stands because it retains the support of Bersatu, PAS, the Sabah and Sarawak blocs, as well as several smaller parties and independent MPs.

To ensure that support, each party is given representation in the Cabinet.

PAS presently holds three ministerial and five deputy ministerial positions. On top of that, Abdul Hadi Awang has been made special envoy to the Middle East, a position with ministerial rank created by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to accommodate the party’s president.

It goes without saying that Ismail’s Cabinet projects the face of Umno and the ruling majority which the party leads. Unfortunately, it is perceived to be bloated, overpaid, outdated and underperforming.

Rightly or wrongly, his Cabinet must bear the blame for every ill that besets the country – the sluggish economy, a weakening ringgit, declining foreign investment, rising inflation, growing unemployment, as well as multiple social issues.

As such, all Cabinet members, irrespective of which party they belong to, should be held accountable for their performance.

Umno is well within its rights to consider the compatibility of the ideologies and views expressed by coalition members with its own and to assess the contributions of their representatives in the administration.

On that score, former Pulai MP Nur Jazlan Mohamed is correct. PAS’ representatives have severely underperformed.

Since his appointment in September last year, special envoy Hadi appears to have done nothing of note to justify his position in the administration.

As party leader, he has also caused Ismail some concern by flip-flopping over the best timing for the next elections. Having initially agreed with the PM that they should only take place at the end of the parliamentary term in mid-2023, Hadi has since contradicted himself by voicing support for early polls.

Umno should also be concerned that Hadi and his deputy appear to be at loggerheads over which logo PAS intends to use for the elections.

Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin initially claimed Hadi had agreed to use the coalition’s logo, only for PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man to contradict him by saying that no decision had been made on the matter.

Of greater concern, however, must be Hadi’s recent statement that those pushing for wider use of the English language are apparently slaves to their former colonial masters. Such myopic and backward views only serve to undermine the administration.

Energy minister Takiyuddin Hassan has also not lived down the controversy he courted last July.

As law minister in Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional government, Takiyuddin told the Dewan Rakyat that all emergency ordinances had been revoked, only to be embarrassed by an unprecedented statement from Istana Negara pointing out that the revocation did not have the King’s consent.

Muhyiddin’s administration fell shortly after that, although the hapless Takiyuddin survived, likely because he was nominated again by his party. Reassigned by Ismail to his current energy portfolio, Takiyuddin has been anonymous ever since.

Put in charge of Islamic affairs, Idris Ahmad is only remembered for incurring the wrath of the sultan of Selangor after he called on Muslims to boycott the Japanese Bon Odori festival recently, which cast a bad light on Ismail’s administration.

And what significant contribution has environment minister Tuan Ibrahim made since his appointment? His only claims to fame (infamy?) have been a speech at a United Nations conference delivered in Malay and some meaningless rant about the name given to local whiskey “Timah”.

Umno must hold its coalition partners accountable for their views and the performance of their representatives in the current administration.

The reality is that PAS’ views are regressive and likely to be rejected by an increasingly discerning rakyat. On top of that, the performance of the party’s representatives in the administration has been dismal.

Its continued presence in an Umno-led coalition will likely only hamper Umno in its quest for a firmer grip on Putrajaya. - FMT

Ibrahim M Ahmad is an FMT reader.

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