Umno mahu jalan pintas tembus kubu PAS di SG4, kata penganalisis

Analysts believe that the demand by Umno leader Nur Jazlan Mohamed for PAS to prove its commitment to Malaysia's unity as a way for Umno to bypass the four-state PAS stronghold known as SG4, is a shortcut for the Barisan Nasional (BN) to regain support in Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perlis. Syaza Shukri, a lecturer from Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM), said that the demand by Umno is a way to help BN recover its backing in these states, where its influence has long been waning.

Syaza added that this demand is unfair as Umno has not given PAS a chance in the PRN Johor and Negeri Sembilan, and is unlikely to do so in the upcoming PRN Melaka on November 14. She also said that Umno needs to prove its sincerity if it wants to challenge PAS, which is often criticized for abandoning coalition partners. "Umno also has a too-dominant history. If Umno wants to make a demand against PAS, it should also be judged," she said.

Umno controls Perlis since 2022 before PAS took over the state, while PAS has strengthened its grip on Kelantan after ruling it since 1990, replacing Umno which governed from 1978. In Kedah and Terengganu, the state governments have changed hands multiple times between Umno and PAS. However, PAS has further solidified its grip in the four states when the Perikatan Nasional (PN) secured a large majority, if not almost all, of the parliamentary and DUN seats in the 2022 and 2023 elections. Conversely, Umno currently has only two representatives in the four states, both from Kelantan.

On Sunday, Nur Jazlan stated that PAS must allocate one-third of the seats in the four states to Umno as proof of its commitment to unity among Malays. Azmi Hassan from the Nusantara Academy said that Nur Jazlan's statement could undermine the discussion of cooperation between Umno and PAS, especially in Kedah, which wants to re-engage the party. He noted that the Kedah chief is clearly unhappy with the statement as it makes it difficult for the state to negotiate cooperation with PAS.