PAS: a one trick pony, a one-hit wonder

 

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang recently claimed in a Facebook post that the Malays were being “openly conned”, and that non-Malays and non-Muslims were the “biggest plunderers”. He later upped the ante by openly threatening the safety of non-Muslims in the country.

Prior to that, in Parliament, a PAS MP openly asked the health minister to declare the LGBTQ condition a mental illness.

Not to be left out, Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor brazenly claimed Penang for Kedah.

The pezzonovante of PAS might look mad to the ordinary man but I dare say, there is a method to their madness.

Sanusi and Hadi are not really targeting the non-Malays and non-Muslims. They are in fact training their guns on their true target – Umno.

In the last general election (GE15), Barisan Nasional (BN) received around 20% of the votes, the lion’s share of which came from Umno Malays.

Many of those Umno Malays are currently at a loss. After all the stunts Ahmad Zahid Hamidi pulled during GE15 and at the party elections, an ever-increasing number among them are distancing themselves from Umno.

A large chunk may abstain from casting their ballot, while others are likely to register a protest vote in favour of Perikatan Nasional (PN).

To win over their vote for PN, PAS simply needs to create a perception that the party will uphold Islam and the rights and interests of the Malays, something they say Umno is in no position to do, given its alliance with PH, and especially the DAP.

By attacking non-Muslims and non-Malays, PAS is simply hoping to draw a strong reaction from PH, especially DAP, knowing such a reaction will likely hurt the sentiments of the Malay Muslims.

Umno will have to watch quietly from the sidelines knowing it cannot react because of its ties with PH in the unity government. Its silence will likely drive more Malays to PN.

PAS is a one-trick pony. It has no economic plan, no vision for the future, no international connections, no fresh ideas, and no solutions to the pressing problems of our times.

The only thing it has is the racial and religious card, and like a one-hit wonder, it is going to milk the song for all it is worth – at full volume, ad nauseam.

Without a doubt, the Umno Malays are the swing vote in the upcoming six state elections. It can either cripple the Green Wave and make the unity government more secure or deliver to PN the overwhelming mandate of the Malays.

PAS knows this and knows how it intends to go about securing that vote. Does Umno know what to do to counter PAS? Does Zahid? Does DAP? Does Anwar? - FMT

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