PAS motion on cooperation could put pressure on Umno, says analyst

 Tawfik Yaakub says the motion could pressure Umno and influence perceptions among its grassroots, although the party is not obliged to discuss a similar motion at its own general assembly.

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said cooperation with Umno is expected to be among the ‘mandatory motions’ at the party’s 72nd muktamar next week.

PETALING JAYA:

The timing of a “mandatory” motion on cooperation with Umno at PAS’s muktamar next week, just days before Umno’s general assembly, could put pressure on the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin to respond, an analyst says.

Universiti Malaya’s Tawfik Yaakub said the motion, if passed, would show that PAS, through its delegates, was serious about renewing cooperation with Umno and BN.

He said PAS did not want to rely only on statements from individual leaders.

“The timing of the PAS muktamar (Sept 4 to 5), which takes place before the Umno general assembly (Sept 11 to 12), gives PAS the opportunity to set the narrative on cooperation between the two parties first,” he told FMT.

“If the muktamar gives strong support to the cooperation, attention will automatically shift to Umno afterwards.”

However, Tawfik said Umno was under no obligation to bring a similar motion to its own assembly, given its different political position.

He noted Umno-BN’s position and commitments within the unity government, as well as the need to weigh its relationship with Pakatan Harapan (PH).

“So the pressure on Umno is more a matter of grassroots pressure and perception, not an organisational obligation to follow PAS’s decision,” he added.

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said on Tuesday that political cooperation with Umno was expected to be among the “mandatory motions” to be tabled and debated at the party’s 72nd muktamar.

PAS and Umno previously had an alliance under the now-defunct Muafakat Nasional in 2019 when PH led the federal government. The pact collapsed after PAS formed Perikatan Nasional (PN) with Bersatu the following year.

Umno and the other parties in BN joined PH to form the unity government after the 2022 general election ended with a hung parliament.

However, BN appears to be moving away from PH and exploring closer cooperation with the PAS-led PN, after an informal electoral alliance in the Negeri Sembilan election which helped the blocs secure a two-thirds majority in the 36-seat state assembly. BN won 18 seats while PN took seven.

Universiti Sains Malaysia academic Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said the “mandatory motion” showed that PAS was serious about opening the door to cooperation, adding however that this was not equivalent to a decision to form a political pact.

He said the muktamar would only empower the PAS leadership to negotiate, with actual implementation still dependent on Umno’s agreement.

Azeem said the parties would likely reach a limited, seat-specific cooperation rather than establish a formal coalition.

“The real measure isn’t the outcome of either assembly, but whether PAS and Umno can subsequently divide seats.

“This is in addition to coordinating candidates and avoiding contests against each other,” he said. - FMT