The enigma that is PAS

HE role of PAS and its degree of involvement in Pakatan Rakyat is something I have struggled to understand for quite some time.

The party remains faithful to Pakatan Rakyat, or so it claims, yet is often unable to see eye-to-eye with its partners on key matters.

Pakatan maintains a policy of “agreeing to disagree”, a phrase that is frequently thrown about by its leaders whenever they are questioned about their opposing views.

That’s all fine and dandy, save for one problem – PAS often comes out of these disagreements feeling like the stepchild in the equation, with its stand never quite fitting in with the plan envisioned by PKR and DAP.

The planned implementation of PAS’ hudud in Kelantan and most recently, the impasse over who should be named the next Selangor Mentri Besar are prime examples of the increasing disparity between PAS and its allies.

Notably during GE13, wherever there was more than one candidate from the opposition vying for the same seat, PAS was the party guilty of “breaking ranks” and fielding its own candidate.

I wouldn’t bet against a similar outcome in the upcoming Pengkalan Kubor by-election, a seat normally contested by PKR but being eyed by PAS this time around following the former’s defeat to Barisan Nasional in 2008 and 2013.

With nomination day a week away, I certainly hope both parties won’t “agree to disagree” and end up playing right into the hands of their political opponents.

Maybe it’s a case of opposites attract, although it’s a slippery slope to contend with when you’re in a political coalition that is expected to execute joint policies for the benefit of the rakyat.

The enigma, then, is how the Islamic party fits into the larger scheme of things considering its history and the origins of its struggle.

When PAS first joined forces with PKR and DAP in 2008, I wondered if it was merely because the three shared an enemy or if they actually envisaged the kind of coalitional cooperation to rival Barisan’s.

It did give the opposition a new-found strength in numbers, and the parties’ mutual opposition of Barisan and its policies ensured that the allies reached a consensus, even if it was against their better judgment at times.

But now, even that threatens to collapse as there is talk that several PAS leaders are ready to work with Umno to form a Unity Government.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s decision to nominate three of his own candidates for the Selangor MB post is a bold indication of wanting to get tough with allies, but I fear this has opened up a can of worms for the party.

Many of PAS’ top guns were left in the dark over Hadi’s eleventh hour move, and with the formation of Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) within the party, the professional and ulama factions are on a collision course that can only end in a permanent split.

PasMa, reportedly set up by disgruntled PAS leaders, is ready to become “PAS baru” and retain its cooperation with PKR and DAP.

Such an outcome would be disastrous, and Hadi is not helping the situation by saying that unhappy members are welcome to leave, as there is a very real possibility that it is him and his supporters who will get left behind – by PAS baru, PKR, and DAP.

At a ceramah in Terengganu recently, Hadi chastised PKR for its handling of the Selangor crisis, accusing its leaders of amplifying a problem that was never there to begin with.

But wait, he then ends his speech by saying that PAS will continue to remain with Pakatan. So where exactly does PAS stand? Or does the president’s voice not represent the party’s?

The dynamics of the opposition has intrigued me since 2008, and I do wonder if PAS was drawn into a partnership by the political forces of the country at the time, or if it was through its own free will.

PAS is, in my opinion, a cut above the rest as an opposition party in Malaysia, and should rightly be able to survive even if things go south from here on out. It has endured much worse, after all.

But after all these years, it begs the question – is PAS shifting its identity with the times, or losing it?

> The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.
-thestar