
As PAS closed its muktamar (general assembly) last Tuesday with a show of confidence, the party with the largest number of MPs flexed its muscles to show it was ready to lead Perikatan Nasional into the next general election.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang made an implicit rejection of PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister candidate, saying the role should be reserved for someone under 70, while delegates unanimously approved a resolution to lead PN’s charge in the elections.
But the party’s rising ambition, with Muhyiddin’s Bersatu appearing divided, was curtailed by the absence of a clear plan to win over non-Malay voters, whose support PAS has always struggled to gain.
Despite acknowledgement of the need to win over the community, the clarion calls by party leaders stopped short of concrete policies or strategies.
PAS…