KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 ― The formation of PAS is a "disaster” to the country’s Malays, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad asserted in a blog post.

He argued that the Islamist Opposition party that broke up from Umno had caused division Malaysia’s biggest demographic group, weakening their political power and impeding their progress.

"For the Malays, the setting up of PAS is a disaster. It split up the unity of Malays in Umno which had successfully defeated the Malayan Union.

"Although Malays are the majority in Malaysia, but with PAS, Malays are no longer the majority,” the chairman of another Umno splinter, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), wrote in his newest posting yesterday.

The former Umno president also blamed PAS for the division within Malaysia’s Muslim community.

"Because all Malays are Muslims, the formation of PAS not only split up the Malays, but also split up Muslims,” he said.

He chided PAS for resorting to labelling Malays who didn’t support its cause as "infidels”, including their own kin.

"With this, social problems afflicted Malay families because there are PAS members who made their parents infidels and considered their marriages to be invalid. Until today, there are places where Malays do not pray together,” he added.

Dr Mahathir also lambasted PAS for refusing to cooperate with the other Opposition parties to prepare for the general elections due by next year, insisting on fielding its own candidates in seats where he claimed their victory is impossible.

He likened PAS’ action in splitting up the Opposition votes this way to supporting the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition anchored by Umno and its leader Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"Since PAS was formed, the division among Malays and Muslims in Malaysia is irreversible,” he added.

Earlier in his blog post, Dr Mahathir traced the history of PAS which he said had never won big whenever it went solo in general elections.

Among other things, he said PAS won 13 seats as part of the Barisan Nasional coalition in 1974, but dipped to only five seats twice in 1978, 1982 and one seat in 1986 after it parted ways with BN and went solo.

PAS was able to win seven seats twice in 1990 and 1995 when working with Semangat 46 and indirectly with PAS, before winning 27 seats by joining PKR and DAP in the Barisan Alternatif in 1999 and only won seven seats in 2004 when DAP did not join the pact.

PAS' partnership with its then allies DAP and PKR had also seen it winning 23 seats and 21 seats in 2008 and 2013, he said.

Citing PAS’ past general election results, he went on to predict that the Islamist party would by going solo only win less than 15 seats if it contests for 80 of them in the next general election.

"With PAS contesting and making it a three or multi-corner contest, the effect is it will split up BN's (Umno) enemies. PAS will lose and drag down other opposition parties. Umno will win, because Opposition party supporters will be divided,” he added.