Umno, PAS still not on the same page on ummah unity, say analysts

PAS and Umno continue to disagree on the details of cooperation needed to unite the ummah, with analysts noting the challenges involved. Azmi Hassan from Akademi Nusantara suggests that Umno prefers direct dealings with PAS, similar to the Muafakat Nasional arrangement. The ummah unity initiative may encounter difficulties if PAS's PN allies, like Hamzah Zainudin's Wawasan party, are included, due to more complicated seat negotiations ahead of the 16th general election.

Umno's stance is that unity with PAS is the only acceptable form, and they want PAS to handle seat allocations in the Perikatan Nasional government. Universiti Malaya's Tawfik Yaakub points out that PAS is trying to gauge its PN partners, including new additions like Wawasan and Pejuang, but stresses that the ummah unity effort should not focus solely on PAS and Umno, to avoid the perception that other PN parties are secondary.

He advocates for an inclusive approach in political cooperation, without neglecting the interests of coalition partners. PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has called for expanding the ummah unity agenda to more parties, arguing that the evolving political landscape and rise of young voters necessitate a more inclusive framework.

The BN and PAS-led Perikatan Nasional secured a strong majority in the Negeri Sembilan state election, but Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan insists that Umno must lead any moves toward Malay-Muslim political unity, warning of past betrayals.