Umno needs to be allies with PAS in Kelantan, says analyst

 

Analyst Azmi Hassan says Kelantan Umno should pick up on the outcome of the recently concluded PAS muktamar to work together.

PETALING JAYA: Kelantan Umno should explore working with PAS after the next general election (GE15) if it wants to govern the state, says a political analyst.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Umno should pick up on the outcome of the recently concluded PAS muktamar, where many PAS leaders remained hopeful of working with Umno despite the Barisan Nasional lynchpin’s refusal to do so.

He said Kelantan Umno needed to convince voters in the state that there was a good chance for Umno to work with PAS post-GE15, in line with the strong perception that it was going to be the dominant party after the nationwide polls.

“The message that Umno should convey to Kelantan voters is that whether they choose Umno or PAS, the result would be the same since both parties will be working together after GE15,” he said.

On Sunday, PAS’ muktamar approved a motion to restore the Muafakat Nasional (MN) political cooperation with Umno ahead of GE15.

However, Kelantan Umno chief Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub said the party was going all-out to contest nine of the 14 parliamentary seats and 35 of the 45 state seats.

In GE14, Kelantan BN won five parliamentary and eight state seats.

Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said Kelantan Umno should emulate PAS in organising mass prayer events or “munajat perdana” to demonstrate its religious credentials. It could take it a step further by organising this in every district.

“This is to ensure that PAS does not dominate Islam-related issues,” he told FMT. “Actually, BN also dominates in religious issues. It’s just that it doesn’t make it political.”

On the other hand, Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia was sceptical that any out-of-the-box strategies could dislodge PAS in Kelantan.

He told FMT that PAS had gone the extra mile by solidifying its grip on Kelantan by reaching out to voters living outside the state.

“The party conducts outreach activities for Kelantanese living outside the state even when it’s not election season. When it’s election time, they ramp up their efforts,” he said.

He said this outreach strategy has helped retain out-of-state Kelantanese as PAS voters wanted a “model of Islamic governance” in Malaysia and believed a PAS-led state government could offer this.

Azmil also brushed off Kelantan Umno’s ability to win over voters, citing the hyper-partisan sentiments among PAS rank-and-file members.

“Many PAS members would disown their family members if they vote (for) Umno,” he said. - FMT