Malaysia: PAS’ alliance with UMNO fuels power grab speculation

MALAYSIA: PAS has made the move after it became clear that UMNO, an ally of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the Madani government, was pressing harder for the release of jailed Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Under Muhyiddin Yassin’s leadership, Perikatan Nasional governed Malaysia through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the severe economic and social strain of strict lockdowns left a lasting mark on his administration’s legacy.

Then came the downfall of Muhyiddin, backed by PAS indeed, since they remained in the government that ruled the country until November 2022.

The 2022 general elections delivered a hung parliament, and the problem was solved with an agreement between Pakatan Harapan (PH) headed by Anwar and Barisan Nasional (BN) headed by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

PN was invited to join the unity government but rejected the idea.

Johor was a massive success for BN and UMNO.

PAS then proposed to UMNO that it would give its full backing in Negeri Sembilan and would also support an UMNO chief minister after the elections, which are taking place on Aug 1.

PAS made history in 2022 after winning 49 seats in the General Election. Its alliance with Bersatu also won more than 76 seats, but it was just a few seats short of PH and that allowed PH to lead the next ruling coalition.

UMNO leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has clarified that there are no ongoing talks between Barisan Nasional and the opposition to convince Sabah and Sarawak parties to withdraw from Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition and form a new government.

Meanwhile, to quell the rumours of an impending collapse of the Anwar government, UMNO has guaranteed it will not attempt to bring down the current Unity Government before its term ends for the next General Election.

UMNO Secretary-General Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said that respecting the government’s full term is explicitly written into the agreement signed by the coalition’s component parties.

He issued this statement to reassure the public following concerns that UMNO’s recent cooperation with Perikatan Nasional—specifically PAS—during the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections might destabilise the federal government.

Asyraf emphasised that maintaining political stability, national harmony, and economic prosperity remains UMNO’s primary commitment throughout this parliamentary term.