KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Umno is again tempting PAS to co-operate for Malay-Muslim unity now that Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is gone, but the Islamist party is no closer to accepting the overtures, despite the passing of the spiritual leader who staunchly opposed the union.
Instead, political analysts said PAS leaders are simply using the topic as a platform to vie for support ahead of crucial party elections in June, which is already leading rival factions to target one another.
Umno itself is also unlikely to go through with such a co-operation despite the public overtures, according to Merdeka Center head Ibrahim Suffian, who said the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin stands to lose more than it will gain from the tie-up.
“Nik Aziz’s passing removes an important obstacle for factions within PAS that are keen to work with Umno to achieve some of their ideological goals… one cannot discount the possibility as there are some issues of common interest such as the hudud bill and reconstruction of Kelantan after the floods.
“(But) It is unlikely to result in a political union as it will be problematic for Umno to explain and deal with the Borneo coalition partners over the longer run,” he told Malay Mail Online.
Barely two weeks after Nik Aziz’s death, talks of PAS-Umno unity have resurfaced amid growing hostilities between the conservative clergy faction and the progressive bloc that is intent on staying with Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
The rumours were fuelled by Umno’s public pledge to support PAS in its ambitions to enforce the Islamic penal law in Kelantan, which the Islamist party’s allies PKR and DAP have publicly opposed.
Such talk is not new, however, and even with Nik Aziz’s death removing a crucial barrier to the collaboration, UiTM associate professor in political science Shaharuddin Badaruddin believed there is no genuine intent to quit PR to be with Umno.
“It is important to remember that this strife often happens when it is nearing elections, which for this time around is in June. Every time the party faces elections, we hear the same issues being brought up,” Shaharuddin told Malay Mail Online.
He said since hudud was a key issue for the Islamist party, leaders vying for position are using this to undermine pro-PR rivals who control two-thirds of the central working committee.
But Shahruddin believes that PAS will contain the fray “naturally” once the elections are over, noting that it had done so numerous times before.
“They always discipline themselves. There will be casualties — some will fall, some will win. But PAS always sorts itself out,” said the lecturer familiar with PAS affairs.
Despite some party leaders agreeing that co-operation with Umno is viable in ad hoc cases, senior leaders such as vice-presidents Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and Husam Musa have openly stated that a political unification with its rivals is impossible.
Political analyst Professor Datuk Mohamad Abu Bakar of University Malaya agreed that Nik Aziz’s death might have strengthened speculation that the idea was possible, but in reality, this was highly unlikely.
“This issue is often played up by the media. Do we know if these leaders (who are pro-unity government) are actually representative of the general sentiment in PAS? This is a question that needs to be answered. I believe we are not given the real picture,” he said.
Both Shaharuddin and Mohamad also agree that although a chance of a breakup is still possible should the party polls favour the hardline factions, this possibility was remote.
“PAS knows it benefits more if it stays than leaving Pakatan,” Shaharuddin said.
