Growing PAS ambitions for PM’s post could strain ties with Umno

Analysts suggest that a push within PAS to claim the prime minister's position could create tension with Umno if the two Malay parties form an alliance for the next general election. PAS has shown confidence after securing 43 parliamentary seats in the 2022 election, compared to Umno's 26. This confidence has been expressed by PAS Youth, who now demand the party to take over leadership of Perikatan Nasional from Bersatu due to its greater strength.

PAS Youth chairman Ilyas Ahmad even stated that PAS should not cede the premiership to other parties as it possesses its own qualified candidates. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has also indicated that the party will reveal its prime ministerial candidate after the upcoming general election, contingent on the number of seats won by each party.

However, Umno is expected to demand the premiership in any agreement with PAS, given PAS's unpopularity among the public with a PAS-led government. To potentially alleviate this issue, PAS could consider nominating a figure who is not a traditional party leader, such as PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is the Terengganu Menteri Besar.

Nonetheless, Umno's widespread political network and decades of federal-level governance experience could give the party an edge, making a PAS-Umno alliance particularly complicated.