Hadi puts squeeze on Bersatu to assert PAS dominance, says analyst

 The PAS president's claim that Bersatu was no longer in PN is seen as his way of signalling that the power hierarchy in PN is changing.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang dismissed Bersatu as a PN member after Muhyiddin Yassin spoke of forming a new alliance.

PETALING JAYA:

The claim by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang that Bersatu had automatically ceased to be part of Perikatan Nasional was the Islamic party’s way of asserting dominance, according to a political analyst.

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said it was naive to think that Hadi’s claim was just an interpretation of PN’s constitution when he stated that any party that chose to join or form another alliance would automatically lose its membership.

Instead, it was a message to Bersatu that the power hierarchy in PN was changing and that PAS wanted nothing to do with Muhyiddin Yassin’s party, said Zaharuddin.

“This is about who is at PN’s steering wheel in the run-up to the 16th general election,” said Zaharuddin, who is with Global Asia Consulting. He told FMT that PAS had growing strength at the grassroots level, and had shown improved performance at elections.

Hadi made the claim about Bersatu’s status following Muhyiddin’s announcement after the Negeri Sembilan state election last month that his party would form a new political alliance.

In response to Hadi, Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali said the PAS chief’s claim contradicted PN’s constitution. Azmin said there was no clause that provided for the automatic termination of a party’s membership. Bersatu’s status as a PN member party could be finalised only by the presidential council, he said.

However, Zaharuddin said that the spat between PAS and Bersatu posed a huge risk that voters would not see PN as an alternative, but as a coalition preoccupied with securing the most number of seats.

“When coalition partners tussle for the leadership post, voters will be asking who among them is really interested in serving (the people). And if PN components cannot live under one roof, how will they convince the people they can rule together?” Zaharuddin said.

Another analyst, Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia, said Hadi’s remarks on Bersatu was an attempt to resolve the spat between the two parties without going through the proper process.

She contended that Bersatu could not remain in PN if it were to form a new coalition.

However, as it was difficult for Bersatu to let go of PN, as it is currently an extremely powerful Malay coalition, Bersatu would consider itself still to be part of PN until its membership is terminated as stipulated by the PN constitution, said Syaza. - FMT