Weigh ‘ultimate’ risk of PAS alliance, Ramasamy warns Umno

P Ramasamy, the Pengerusi Urimai of Umno, has warned Umno to consider the greatest risk if they continue collaborating with PAS in the 2016 General Election. He believes that PAS might surpass Umno in areas with a majority Malay population. Although Umno could gain an electoral advantage through cooperation to prevent disunity among Malay voters, Ramasamy argues that PAS could surpass or bypass Umno politically in some Malay-majority areas if their nationalistic agenda no longer aligns with their political interests.

He cautioned that PAS may revert to its strong Islamic political identity if they find their nationalistic agenda no longer serves their political goals.

Ramasamy pointed out that four states - Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Perlis - are not just electoral battlegrounds for PAS; they are the results of decades-long political struggles against Umno. The loss of several seats in these states to PAS will be viewed as the party reclaiming territories they once fiercely contested. He questioned how far each party is willing to compromise without relinquishing hard-fought political positions that took decades to establish.

Ramasamy noted that Umno and PAS were allies under the Muafakat Nasional pact in 2019, but the alliance fell apart after PAS joined Bersatu to form Perikatan Nasional. In the 2022 General Election, BN failed to win any parliamentary seats in Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu, which are dominated by PAS. Similar failures occurred during the 2023 PRN six-state elections when BN lost all seats, including one in DUN Kedah and Terengganu.