Kerjasama Umno percepat cita-cita PAS ke Putrajaya, kata penganalisis

Analysts say that PAS may be accelerating efforts to achieve its goal of leading the federal government by perceiving a partnership with Umno as the best option. PAS recognizes the challenges it will face in building influence and support across the country if it moves independently, even in the long term. Umno has a wider appeal throughout Malaysia, while PAS's strength is concentrated in Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu.

The cooperation between PAS and Umno at the moment is not just about political survival, but rather aims to position PAS closer to power at the federal level. Azmi Hassan, a political analyst from Nusantara Academy, said he does not think PAS is willing to wait another 10 years to become part of the federal government or see any of its MPs appointed as prime minister.

"I don't think that's the goal behind the cooperation with Umno at the moment," he told FMT. PAS may be willing to play a supporting role behind Umno for now, but this attitude could change quickly if the 2016 general election favors PAS. For now, simply supporting Umno's popularity is enough, but if PAS gains more seats, it will demand the position of prime minister.

The National Accord (PN) alliance may become history for PAS, although the party may continue to cooperate with Wawasan's leader Hamzah Zainudin. Former Umno chief spokesperson Shahril Hamdan recently said PAS may be waiting between five to 10 years before launching a serious effort to lead the nation. He believes Umno is more focused on regaining power quickly, while PAS may prefer to use its time in the government to build administrative experience and give time for voters and civil servants to get to know the party.

Another analyst, Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, agrees with Shahril and says PAS realizes its weakness compared to Umno, especially in terms of lack of top figures and experience in federal administration. He says Umno, which has governed Malaysia since independence until 2018, has decades of experience that PAS can learn from.

PAS faces limited growth because it is considered a local party whose appeal is mainly limited to traditional Malay voters. PAS needs more time to study Umno's experience in federal government before being ready to take power on its own in the future, Mazlan predicts. PAS may allow Umno to lead Putrajaya if both parties succeed in forming a government after PRU16.

However, he warns that PAS's move could backfire and help Umno regain support among Malay voters. PAS's big risk is that if Umno regains the trust of Malay voters, as it did in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, PAS could lose its influence due to both parties competing for the same Malay voter segment. PAS and Umno are political rivals, and any benefit gained from cooperation could lead to future rivalry and competition on the political stage for winning Malay votes in the future.