Asmara PAS-Umno, siapa guna siapa?

Recent events have led many to marvel at PAS as a politically astute party. It is not because PAS is skilled at issuing directives or has a strong commitment to prayer, but because it is strategically brilliant. The success of Barisan Nasional in PRN elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan appears to be a testament to the resurgence of Umno's dominance in many areas.

However, the reality is far from perfect. Umno's strength seems to be waning, making them reliant on Perikatan Nasional for support and willing to play a secondary role to Umno. PAS, on the other hand, seems to be utilizing Umno, or more bluntly, taking advantage of Umno. This is evident in the PRN elections in Johor, where PAS has been offering support to Umno's voters in exchange for a limited number of seats.

PAS understands that it has limited influence in Johor, so it offers these concessions to appease Umno. Umno, in turn, has readily accepted these offers without much thought, owing to their existing indebtedness to PAS. The shrewd political tactics employed by PAS have been widely praised. Moving on to the PRN elections in Negeri Sembilan, PAS has been willing to accept a few seats offered by Umno.

This move is even more impressive considering that a new party cannot garner support from the two largest Malay parties and that BN is likely to win. However, Umno remains indebted to PAS. The third and most significant aspect is who is responsible for inciting racial issues. While Umno often attacks DAP, PAS has played a role in portraying Malay-Islamic power as Malaysia's savior.

In PRN Negeri Sembilan, Sanusi's comments have caused a stir, with Zahid getting angry and banishing Sanusi from Kedah. However, Sanusi's actions have benefited Umno by rallying Malay and PN voters. PAS has once again proven its value to Umno and PN. Looking at Melaka, PAS has become more assertive, demanding a greater share of the spoils.

Zahid claims it's not possible, but Hadi suggests it's merely Zahid's personal opinion. PAS's ability to counter Umno's rhetoric is noteworthy, showcasing who the real boss is. Local politician Lokman Nor Adam doubts the cooperation between Umno and PAS, arguing that PAS cannot be trusted to deliver seats in Kelantan, Kedah, and Terengganu, unless PAS explicitly promises them.

I agree with Lokman's perspective. So far, PAS has focused on southern states where it has never been strong enough to deliver on its promises. The question remains, who is really pulling the strings in this BN-PN collaboration? In my opinion, PAS has been implementing a deliberate strategy of offering and slightly limiting seats in the discussion.

However, there is one politician aside from Hadi who deserves attention in this BN-Umno friendship. His name is Hamzah Zainudin. He has been busy trying to change the name of the cooperation to Perikatan Barisan Nasional. Zahid adamantly rejects this proposal, but it reveals who the real player is in the PAS-Umno friendship. It appears that the most likely scenario is that all these maneuvers are orchestrated by Hamzah, potentially the future Prime Minister of Malaysia in 11.

It seems that Umno has been played by PAS, with Hamzah as their puppet master. This article presents the writer's opinion and should not be considered a representation of FMT.