Cita-cita PAS jadi PM boleh keruhkan hubungan dengan Umno

Analysts warn that increasing pressure on PAS to demand the position of Prime Minister risks straining relations with Umno for the 16th General Election (PRU16), according to Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting. PAS believes firmly that it has a strong case for demanding the position following its 43 parliamentary seats won in the 2022 PRU, compared to Umno's 26 seats.

When PAS members speak of a PAS Prime Minister, they are sending a message to Umno: "We are no longer junior partners," says Zaharuddin in an interview with FMT. Syaza Shukri from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia sees PAS' growing confidence and notes that previous concerns about PAS taking over leadership of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition have diminished due to its stronger presence in the coalition.

At a PAS rally last week, PAS Kedah Youth Leader Ilyas Ahmad said that PAS should not give in to other parties for the position of Prime Minister, as PAS itself has a suitable candidate. PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang also previously stated that the party has a candidate for Prime Minister, but will only announce it after assessing the number of seats won by each party.

This comes as Umno and PAS renew their political cooperation after working together through the Barisan Nasional (BN) and PN in the recent Negeri Sembilan PRN. It is expected that this arrangement will be extended to the upcoming PRN in Melaka. However, Syaza believes that Umno is likely to insist on obtaining the Prime Minister's position as part of any agreement with PAS.

"That's what Umno will demand in return for cooperating with PAS," she says. "Umno knows they can ask for it because PAS is well aware that a PAS Prime Minister would be very unpopular among the general public." "But if Umno takes the Prime Minister's position, even though PAS has more seats, the relationship will quickly become strained," Syaza adds.

Syaza suggests that PAS could mitigate concerns about a PAS Prime Minister by proposing a figure seen as different from other traditional PAS leaders, such as PN Chief Minister Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar. While Samsuri, who is also a former Terengganu Chief Minister, could make PAS more acceptable to voters and political allies, Zaharuddin notes that Umno still has an advantage in terms of its nationwide political network and decades of experience in federal governance, while PAS remains more geographically focused. "Here lies the challenge of the PAS-Umno partnership," Zaharuddin concludes.