Could PAS join the unity government?
The optimal solution
While many are awaiting police action to be taken against Pas leader Abdul Hadi Awang for his divisive remarks over race and religion, there are possibilities other things might be going on behind closed doors.
Anwar’s two dilemmas
The continual rumours of political instability within the unity government always fall back onto UMNO as the source. UMNO directly controls only 30 seats in the unity government, but exercises influence as the majority party within the coalition. This is forcing political focus towards issues such as pardons, rather than important government issues of the day. This political instability will definitely continue, especially with a continuing court case against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, over the next year.
In addition, electorally there is no chance the unity government will make any headway in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah. After the coming state elections, these three states will become complete PAS strongholds, with Penang and Selangor most probably seeing a larger PAS presence in those state assemblies.
Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim may well be on the way to solving these two dilemmas. Over the last few weeks there has been some lowkey and symbolic meetings between Anwar and the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s sons, Nik Omar and Nik Muhammad Abduh. Nik Muhammad is a PAS Central Committee member, while Nik Omar contested the last general election under PKR. There are strained relations between both of them, so it was unusual they would be together in a meeting with Anwar. In addition, Amanah leader, Mat Sabu recently said that he wouldn’t be surprised if PAS reunites with DAP in the near future.
Does Mat Sabu know something we don’t?
We have precedents
PAS has a long relationship with Pakatan Harapan. Anwar’s newly formed PKR worked with both PAS and the DAP in what was called the Barisan Alternatif between 1999 and 2001. They further worked together under the Pakatan Rakyat between 2008 and 2015.
Anwar and Hadi were both leaders of the Islamic Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM).
Thus, there is a history of all parties working together. Even Amanah was a breakaway group from PAS, when Pakatan Rakyat fell apart over the proposed implementation of Hudud laws in Kelantan back in 2015.
The objective of the unity government is to be a ‘stability’ government
After observing the unity government for almost six months, one thing is sure that it is not a reformasi government. The unity government’s primary objective is to bring stability to the government of Malaysia.
The is no way PH-BN components will be able to penetrate the Malay heartlands, which makes up approximately 35 percent of the parliamentary seats. UMNO’s influence has been absorbed by Bersatu. Amanah never took away from PAS the support it had hoped for. PKR’s traditional supporters are primarily urban based.
The only way the unity government can win the Malay heartlands is not through the ballot box. The unity government can only bring PAS into the unity government as a member of the coalition.
There is already a formula for that, the DAP approach. PAS becomes a member of the unity government, taking on a nominal number of ministries.
A Madani Government
Such a government, with PAS incorporated would become the Madani government that Anwar probably visualized, and would be comfortable with. The government would have a blend of Islam and reformasi at the same time. This could be a win-win situation. It worked with two Perikatan Nasional administrations under Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The unity administration would become a 2 in 1 government. It can be Islamic, Bumiputera friendly, and mildly reformasi, at the same time. This could be a winnable formula for the change Anwar supporters aspire to.
Political Benefits
Such a move by PAS would pull the carpet from under Bersatu and banish them into irrelevance. UMNO’s influence in government would be greatly diminished.
This would be an outcome the monarchy, and politicians could work with. Court cases and pardons would cease to become an influence on the stability and very survival of the unity government. Backroom deals could be abandoned. Federal-state relations in the Malaysian political context could be rebalanced, where Malaysia actually begins to operate like a real federation.
Malaysia would have to accept a mildly Islamic government, as a compromise.
This could be the recipe for political stability.
This could be Anwar’s big game plan and challenge. Anwar likes challenges, and has been keeping his cards close to his chest. Anwar is one of the very few people in Malaysia who could pull off such a deal, and settle the divisiveness that beset the nation, since 1969.
If such a move could be achieved, this would be Anwar’s legacy.
Originally published in My Sin Chew 14th May 2023
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haha no, PAS would not abandon Bersatu, If Anwar want a truce, he must bring Bersatu into the picture, the whole of PN. The better option is for Anwar to build a government without DAP. DAP is actually the real torn for everybody in the government, if we get rid of DAP we will have a stable government, DAP is the kind of parasite that we dont need in a multiracial country like Msia. If Anwar want to suceed he will need PN and he should abandon DAP.
The position is as clear as broad daylight unless of course you are one of the Sin Chiew types and funded by the NED and Open Societies Foundation. Anwar Ibrahim is committed to turning Malaysia into a Muslim (or Islamic) state where Syariah law will dominate the lives of all Malaysians.
Those who advocated against UMNO and the Barisan are in denial because the truth now sounds a lot more dire than what they had dreamed of under an Anwar Ibrahim 'Reformasi' government. No one bothered to ask Anwar what his ideas of 'Reformasi' were. They just went along for the ride because that's where the action was and it was awash with NED and Open Societies money.
Everyone got their chance of 15 seconds of Warholian fame and it felt good for a time.
Wan Aziza in November 2015 told Al Jazeera's Medhi Hassan it was alright for her to be her husband's seat warmer and that of course Syaria would be introduced under an Anwar government. Anwar is committed to an Islamic state in Malaysia.
Speculating and pontificating about the future of a unification government is evidence of wanton self inflicted ignorance. Anwar needs the Malay majority in a Malay majority country to keep his government afloat. He has no alternative.
The idea of why Anwar has canvassed the pardoning of DS Najib is best explained by long time Sabah Journalist and political commentator Joe Fernandez in a recently published piece, a piece which echoes what I and a few others have repeated ad nauseum since the Najib trial and his jailing. It was a constitutional mess and driven by people like Sri Ram Gopal, Tommy Thomas and others like them who although claiming to be constitutional experts failed to understand why it was wrong.
There is now international concern about the abrogation of due process in Malaysian courts demonstrating a very low calibre of lawyer and judge alike in Malaysia. DS Najib was denied natural justice, due process and his charging, trial and jailing flew in the face of the constitution.
Anwar is beholden to PAS. The destruction of UNMO at the last GE made that possible. PAS has cut through the secularism that was once Malaysia like a hot knife through butter. There is no turning back for Malaysians today. Perhaps if they turned to UMNO that could happen. But would the Malays who are comfortable with an Islamic society want to assist an ungrateful American Regime Sponsored constituency of Indians and Chinese? Only time will tell.