PAS still needs the PN brand, say experts

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) platform may be key to PAS’s ambition to capture Putrajaya, political pundits say.

Analyst Asrul Sani said the PN brand could help PAS soften its dogmatic image and appeal to a wider audience, while academic Azmil Tayeb believes it could serve as a bridge to areas where the party has yet to gain substantial influence.

That, they said, could help the Islamic party gain leverage in semi-urban seats, allowing it to expand beyond its traditional strongholds.

Asrul, a vice-president at consulting services provider The Asia Group, told FMT that PAS would limit its reach if it contested under its own banner, thereby undermining its ambition to position itself as a government-in-waiting.

He said PN gave PAS a “ready-made” national opposition platform, enabling it to broaden its identity beyond its purely Islamic characteristics.

Azmil of Universiti Sains Malaysia said PN’s value to PAS also lay in its ability to serve as a bridge into geographic regions where the party previously lacked influence.

“For PAS, being part of PN gives it access to parts of the country where it has the least influence. It gives PAS an opportunity to contest more seats, as it did in the 15th general election,” he told FMT.

However, Azmil believes any expansion of PAS’s influence would largely involve consolidating Malay-Muslim support nationwide rather than building a broader multiracial appeal.

“The intention of PN has always been to maximise Malay votes by focusing on the Malay-Muslim unity agenda, which comes at the expense of non-Malay votes,” he said.

He added that even if PAS were to contest GE16 independently, its base remained strong enough to secure at least 30 seats, ensuring that it remained a major player after the election.

PN’s legitimacy

However, any decision on the use of the PN platform may not be PAS’s to make, at least in the near term.

The legitimacy of the coalition as a registered organisation has come under scrutiny from the Registrar of Societies (RoS), which issued an order on Sept 23 to suspend its activities, a day after one of its components, Bersatu, lodged a complaint.

It has been reported that the RoS issued another notice instructing the coalition to explain why it should not be deregistered.

PN has filed a judicial review application challenging the two notices. It is also seeking clarification on Bersatu’s complaint and whether it is eligible to field candidates, particularly in the coming Melaka state election.

Asrul said PN’s decision to take legal action over the RoS notices indicated that PAS, whose vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is the coalition’s chairman, intended to maintain its influence over the platform rather than dismantle it.

“PAS may not be preparing to abandon PN outright, but it is likely trying to ensure that the coalition operates on terms that reflect PAS’s strength and does not constrain its seat negotiations or 16th general election (GE16) strategy,” he said.

Commenting on reports that PAS and Umno were already in talks about the possibility of working together in future elections, Asrul pointed to PAS’s track record of building and dissolving pacts across the political spectrum over the years.

“PAS has always been politically pragmatic. It has repeatedly adjusted alliances when it sees a better route to power, including its earlier cooperation with DAP under Pakatan Rakyat, with Umno under Muafakat Nasional, and later with Bersatu under PN,” he added.

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