The real reason PPBM, Umno and PAS can’t agree
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang yesterday issued a statement which has two messages: One, the party is backing Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN), and two, self-interested individuals are holding up Umno’s cooperation with PPBM and PAS.
Hadi said: “PAS rejects an agenda that aims solely to save the personalities of its leaders and groups, not to save the country and all the people.”
Obviously he is trying to defend his party’s backing for PPBM and PN after being told by some Umno leaders to choose between their party and PPBM.
At the same time it is clear he feels the only thing holding up an understanding among the three Malay parties is the desire of some leaders in Umno to save themselves.
We know that at least two Umno leaders have been found guilty of graft and several more are facing various corruption-related charges. Although no one has openly said it, talk is that these Umno leaders have been bargaining with Muhyiddin to help them with their cases.
Hadi’s statement yesterday just adds credence to this.
“The purpose of PAS is very clear, it is not just to save a person or a small group, but to save as many people as possible. So, if there are those who are narrow and limited in their purpose, they will certainly be left behind,” he said.
He added: “PAS rejects cooperation that divides and strays from the original purpose of Muafakat (Nasional).”
PAS and Umno formed the Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact soon after the 2018 general election when both were in the opposition to ensure Malay-Muslim dominance in the political life of the nation and win power in the next general election (GE15).
However, when Muhyiddin squeezed out his mentor in PPBM, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to form the government last February and invited PAS to join him, Hadi grabbed the opportunity to taste the fruits of federal power. Umno too joined Muhyiddin, seeing it as an opportunity to not just get back into power but also to be able to muscle in on the smaller PPBM and have a powerful say in government.
It is also not unlikely that some Umno leaders felt it would help their court cases if they were in government.
It didn’t work out that way. Muhyiddin proved to be too crafty and, despite the fact that Umno has more MPs, has ensured that PPBM remains in the driver’s seat. Is it wrong to assume his hidden hand has contributed to the rift among Umno leaders?
Umno now realises its only chance of getting full control is by winning in GE15, which is why it has been urging Muhyiddin to advice the King to call for polls when the Covid-19 numbers are down. Which is also why it teamed up with PAS.
Umno knows that PPBM, which has been increasing its strength by attracting defectors, is now its chief rival for the Malay vote. PPBM, being an offshoot of Umno, will also be appealing to the same section of voters in the next general election.
All three parties have claimed that they are fighting for Malay and Muslim rights and the well-being of the Malays.
The truth of the matter is that they are fighting only for themselves. They all want power. PPBM wants to continue in the driver’s seat after the next general election while Umno wants to retake that position.
That is the reason they cannot agree.
PAS is okay with both parties because its only hope of being in government is by hanging on to the coattails of either PPBM or Umno. And that is why it has one foot in PN and the other in MN.
Note that a few hours after Hadi’s statement, the party’s information chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad felt compelled to clarify his boss’ remarks. He said Hadi’s statement did not mean that the party was pulling out of or was against the pact with Umno.
What Hadi meant, Kamaruzaman said, was that PAS was against any attempt to divide the ummah.
Also, PAS has no or little problem when it comes to seat distribution for GE15. It will almost likely get to contest those seats that it holds and has traditionally contested.
It’s not the same with Umno though. A considerable number of PPBM’s seats were won under the Umno ticket in the last general election and the latter wants to contest in these constituencies again. Umno considers these its traditional seats. Umno even sees the 13 seats that PPBM won in 2018 as its traditional seats.
If tomorrow PPBM were to tell Umno it can contest most of the seats it contested in GE14, including many of the seats PPBM now holds, the pact is sealed. Umno will be happy because it increases its chances of being in control as it will get to contest the largest number of seats.
If tomorrow Umno agrees to let PPBM contest all the seats it now holds and seats it contested in the previous general election, the pact will be sealed too. That will give Muhyiddin a better chance of retaining the post of prime minister if his coalition wins, which is likely if all three team up and Gabungan Parti Sarawak still supports PN.
If indeed Umno agrees to let PPBM contest the seats it wants, don’t you think the King will be advised to call for polls soonest possible?
The crux of the matter is the question of who will be the boss after GE15.
It is not about and has never been about the Malays or the ummah. We must remember that these are politicians, and politicians in every party are hungry for power. That, of course, includes the man who wants to “save as many people as possible.”
Hadi said: “PAS rejects an agenda that aims solely to save the personalities of its leaders and groups, not to save the country and all the people.”
Obviously he is trying to defend his party’s backing for PPBM and PN after being told by some Umno leaders to choose between their party and PPBM.
At the same time it is clear he feels the only thing holding up an understanding among the three Malay parties is the desire of some leaders in Umno to save themselves.
We know that at least two Umno leaders have been found guilty of graft and several more are facing various corruption-related charges. Although no one has openly said it, talk is that these Umno leaders have been bargaining with Muhyiddin to help them with their cases.
Hadi’s statement yesterday just adds credence to this.
“The purpose of PAS is very clear, it is not just to save a person or a small group, but to save as many people as possible. So, if there are those who are narrow and limited in their purpose, they will certainly be left behind,” he said.
He added: “PAS rejects cooperation that divides and strays from the original purpose of Muafakat (Nasional).”
PAS and Umno formed the Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact soon after the 2018 general election when both were in the opposition to ensure Malay-Muslim dominance in the political life of the nation and win power in the next general election (GE15).
However, when Muhyiddin squeezed out his mentor in PPBM, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to form the government last February and invited PAS to join him, Hadi grabbed the opportunity to taste the fruits of federal power. Umno too joined Muhyiddin, seeing it as an opportunity to not just get back into power but also to be able to muscle in on the smaller PPBM and have a powerful say in government.
It is also not unlikely that some Umno leaders felt it would help their court cases if they were in government.
It didn’t work out that way. Muhyiddin proved to be too crafty and, despite the fact that Umno has more MPs, has ensured that PPBM remains in the driver’s seat. Is it wrong to assume his hidden hand has contributed to the rift among Umno leaders?
Umno now realises its only chance of getting full control is by winning in GE15, which is why it has been urging Muhyiddin to advice the King to call for polls when the Covid-19 numbers are down. Which is also why it teamed up with PAS.
Umno knows that PPBM, which has been increasing its strength by attracting defectors, is now its chief rival for the Malay vote. PPBM, being an offshoot of Umno, will also be appealing to the same section of voters in the next general election.
All three parties have claimed that they are fighting for Malay and Muslim rights and the well-being of the Malays.
The truth of the matter is that they are fighting only for themselves. They all want power. PPBM wants to continue in the driver’s seat after the next general election while Umno wants to retake that position.
That is the reason they cannot agree.
PAS is okay with both parties because its only hope of being in government is by hanging on to the coattails of either PPBM or Umno. And that is why it has one foot in PN and the other in MN.
Note that a few hours after Hadi’s statement, the party’s information chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad felt compelled to clarify his boss’ remarks. He said Hadi’s statement did not mean that the party was pulling out of or was against the pact with Umno.
What Hadi meant, Kamaruzaman said, was that PAS was against any attempt to divide the ummah.
Also, PAS has no or little problem when it comes to seat distribution for GE15. It will almost likely get to contest those seats that it holds and has traditionally contested.
It’s not the same with Umno though. A considerable number of PPBM’s seats were won under the Umno ticket in the last general election and the latter wants to contest in these constituencies again. Umno considers these its traditional seats. Umno even sees the 13 seats that PPBM won in 2018 as its traditional seats.
If tomorrow PPBM were to tell Umno it can contest most of the seats it contested in GE14, including many of the seats PPBM now holds, the pact is sealed. Umno will be happy because it increases its chances of being in control as it will get to contest the largest number of seats.
If tomorrow Umno agrees to let PPBM contest all the seats it now holds and seats it contested in the previous general election, the pact will be sealed too. That will give Muhyiddin a better chance of retaining the post of prime minister if his coalition wins, which is likely if all three team up and Gabungan Parti Sarawak still supports PN.
If indeed Umno agrees to let PPBM contest the seats it wants, don’t you think the King will be advised to call for polls soonest possible?
The crux of the matter is the question of who will be the boss after GE15.
It is not about and has never been about the Malays or the ummah. We must remember that these are politicians, and politicians in every party are hungry for power. That, of course, includes the man who wants to “save as many people as possible.”
hadi is a liar with liar characteristic.
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