Division in the MN leaves PAS into shock, confusion
Umno is not the only party that is divided on who to support, PM Muhyiddin Yassin or Anwar Ibrahim the contender.
The PAS, the biggest Islamic party in Malaysia, is shocked and confused over the recent political situation.
Reports say the Bersatu, Pejuang and the DAP are also divided on who they want to support.
As for the Amanah, it appears it has saddled in and is ready to pounce for Anwar Ibrahim as PM.
Nevertheless, the Islamists are the ones in shock and confusion. They lost comprehension why is the Umno pushing for a change in prime minister.
Though they do not really have any reasons to attack Anwar as a reformasi leader, the party is severely divided.
PM Muhyiddin Yassin has been kind to them, offering them ministerial posts that they would not dream of.
PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang is finally a federal minister, a dream come true. Though he is a minister because of his Arab language fluency. We never heard him speak in Arabic anyways.
PAS-MAHATHIR-PH
Rumours are the PAS was juggling with fallen PM Mahathir Mohamad, showing him so much love. They wanted to join the PH if the PH would get rid of their small kid brother Amanah.
The nemesis of the PAS made it into the big league with the winning enough seats to bring the PH to power in 2018.
While Mahathir seems to be hell bent on believing it is his Bersatu that won the elections, fact is it was PH.
But Mahathir did not give the PAS a chance to enter the PH. He could not make the final decision to kick Amanah out.
The PAS, from the rosy cheeks of love for Mahathir, turned green with envy and anger and shooed Mahathir into the opposition.
When the latter was calling for all MPs to support him beyond party lines, the PAS dumped him. They went for Muhyiddin as PM.
PAS-ANWAR-PH
Recently there were talks of the PAS urging the PH to give them a chance to join in. They had other ideas about the Muafakat, it seems.
Again the point was to get rid of Amanah but not to give Anwar a little bigger numbers. They wanted in if Pejuang and Warisan were in to support PH.
The plan was not to get Anwar into Putrajaya as the PM. It was to get Mahathir back as PM with the PAS as his saddle. That is Mahathir would have big love from PAS and from Pejuang+DAP+Warisan.
While the PKR and the dissolved Amanah would be second fiddle.
This is how the PAS things of the ‘tuan rumah’ in the PH. That is if they can come in, they will be king makers and dictate.
PAS-UMNO-MUAFAKAT
The Islamist party— shocked and confused— with the developments in Umno, has demanded UMNO to explain.
Zahid’s remark that the party’s MPs have shifted support from Muhyiddin to Anwar did not please the PAS.
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has even accused partner UMNO of having breached their agreement.
He says the agreement is enshrined in a joint charter last year (Sept 14, 2019) called Muafakat Nasional.
In retaliation, UMNO Youth Chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki lectured PAS. He urges the latter to explain why it joined Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional.
It is also clear if the PAS acts too much like it is a big brother, pressing Umno on why its MPs are supporting Anwar, it may loose the Umno support too.
PAS AND PEJUANG DIVIDED?
On the ground, the noises are the PAS too is not that united in its support for Muhyiddin. The sound is that if Umno were to abandon Muhyiddin, some in the PAS may also do so.
But the division is not only within the PAS. The Pejuang of Mahathir is also in deep thought.
There are winds that if Mahathir were to quit politics now and leave the leadership to others in Pejuang, the party may shift ground.
Instead of being too anti-Anwar and allow themselves to be dictated by the old man’s struggle to bury Anwar, they may change.
Mahathir is bent into preventing a Pejuang-Umno alliance. Talks in some blog is that he may make a stand to rejoin Umno if the likes of Najib Razak and Zahid Hamidi are kicked out.
But with Zahid still firmly in the leadership post, such plans from Mahathir may be put on hold.
DAP-MAHATHIR-PH
Finally, the other party that is feeling the diversionary mood is the DAP. The once solidly anchored party behind its leader Lim Guan Eng and eternal Chairman Lim Kit Siang is wilting.
A wing of the DAP is still mesmerised by the kind-old-gentle-Mahathir. They want him as their leader in a government where they will control major ministries.
They believe, perhaps, that under Anwar they will not get the same treatment. That is they will not have a PM who will let them fight against Zakir Naik openly?
Nevertheless, not all in the DAP are in favour of a return of Mahathir as PM. Many are looking at the groundswell support. The Chinese community will not give a blanket vote to any one who is in favour of Mahathir. Go find out why!