Umno Kedah terancam mahu runding hanya dengan PAS, kata penganalisis

Analysts warn Umno Kedah faces risk if it only considers backing PAS for elections, citing their failure to win any parliamentary seats in the last general election, said Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid from Universiti Sains Malaysia. The party only stands a chance of regaining the Bakar Arang and Sidam seats, previously won by PKR, and the Kota Darul Aman seat held by DAP, if they follow the principle of distributing seats to the party leaders.

According to him, Umno's move to diminish Wawasan as a secondary party does not deny the reality that Hamzah Zainudin-led Perikatan Nasional (PN) is the ruling party. Wawasan will undoubtedly seek Kedah parliamentary seats, at least those won by Bersatu before, in its eagerness to have a say in the dialogue with PAS. Umno must face the reality of its diminished position in Kedah and nationally, no longer being the primary choice of Malay voters.

It is not necessary to play both sides as if they have a claim on the ruling coalition, he told FMT. Meanwhile, Syaza Shukri from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia also sees Umno and Wawasan competing for the same Malay voter base, with Wawasan seeking seats and wishing to be a PN component partner. However, Umno will face a significant challenge in persuading PAS to hand over the seats, compared to prioritizing Wawasan, according to him.

This development could potentially trigger a new faction within PN due to the issue of seat allocation and the selection of cooperative partners often becoming a major point of contention. Remember the former National Front (Muafakat Nasional) split happened because PAS chose Bersatu over Umno. If PAS were to choose Umno without considering Wawasan, would Wawasan accept such action?

This dilemma shows that the internal dynamics and challenges of PN are far from over, according to him. Recently, Umno Kedah Spokesperson Shaiful Hazizy Abidin reportedly called PAS a party for political dialogue to face the PRU16, rejecting the term 'party of PN' when referring to the party's annual press conference, urging PAS to stop being submissive or join a new party founded.