Sokongan terhadap PAS belum maksimum, kata penganalisis

Analysts say PAS's support is not yet at its maximum, even though the party secured the highest number of parliamentary seats in history during PRU15. Oh Ei Sun from Singapore International Islamic Law Institute predicts conservative support will continue to grow nationwide, helping PAS. Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid from Universiti Sains Malaysia adds there are progressive Malay urban citizens who could be approached by PAS.

The trend of conservatism among Malay voters has increased in recent years, contributing to PAS's victory of 43 seats in PRU15, making it the largest party in the Dewan Rakyat. PAS has room for growth, including in urban areas. This trend exists not only outside urban areas but also within them. This is not just a phenomenon in Malaysia; it is happening in Turkey, Indonesia, and many other predominantly Muslim countries.

Therefore, PAS has ample room for development, according to FMT. Fauzi said Pakatan Harapan (PH) needs to accept the reality of growing conservative support and identity politics. He believes the combination often appears as if it undermines PAS supporters, showing their distance from reality and causing those voters to move away.

However, PAS can become progressive without losing conservative support. Fauzi said PAS needs to expand support by approaching progressive Malay urban citizens, which he believes won't alienate traditional conservative PAS voters. PAS's stance against corruption has previously helped it gain a majority of votes from Umno, which can continue, while the disappointment of progressive Malay voters over PH could open up space for PAS if it starts emphasizing administrative accountability and fairness.

He said to attract this group's support, PAS needs to convince them that the party is not extremist, especially by promoting social pluralism and interfaith engagement, while combining Islamic understanding with modern nationhood concepts. Clearly, it is not always about vote counting. PAS needs to be creative; for example, it can differentiate its candidate profiles and highlight English-proficient professionals as candidates in urban areas and western state regions, according to Fauzi.

He also said PAS candidates need to be trained to speak about human rights and social pluralism, while a module should be prepared by PAS to prove that these concepts do not directly contradict Islamic politics. Young Malay voters are another important target segment, as they are not loyal to any particular party and are more willing to shift their support in the ballot box.