Commenting on the party’s recently stated goal of drawing non-Malay support, Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia said the onus is on PAS’s syura council to proactively move it towards becoming more inclusive.
“If that happens, I think they can get the support of the non-Muslims. PAS recognises that its dream of taking Putrajaya depends on figuring out how to win the non-Muslims over.
“Even though the non-Malay population is decreasing, PAS’s support from the Malays is also limited.
“The only way for it to form the federal government is to convince Sabah and Sarawak, and to do all that it can to convince the people that PAS is truly for all,” she said.
Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia cautioned against viewing PAS only in terms of its leaders’ public posturing.
“To understand PAS, you have to separate the posturing from its core. The party can project whatever it wants as long as its ideological core is intact or not severely compromised.
“This ideological core is set by the ulamas in the syura council who don’t usually appear in public. After all, PAS is an ideologically driven socio-political movement and more than just a political party,” he told FMT.
Azmi and Syaza’s comments come after PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man called for a “paradigm shift” in the party’s youth wing, urging it to focus on wooing the support of non-Malays so that the party is in a position to lead the federal government.
Speaking at the wing’s muktamar in Temerloh, Pahang, he said this may take 10 to 20 years.
“Our success today is the result of seeds planted 10 to 20 years ago, and the seeds we plant today will bear fruit 10 to 20 years from now,” he said.
20 years too long, says analyst
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara poured cold water on Tuan Ibrahim’s ambitions, saying the 20-year timeframe he had set was too long in terms of politics.
“I think it’s a very long-term plan. Ten years in politics to gain non-Malay support for PAS? I don’t think it’s viable, because politics changes,” he told FMT.
Azmi also dismissed Tuan Ibrahim’s claim that PAS’s strength today is the result of its efforts 20 years ago, saying rather that it came from Umno’s weakness.
“Political timeframes generally range between two and three years, not 10 to 20 years,” he said, noting that the UK’s Labour Party, led by current prime minister Keir Starmer, took over that country’s government after three years of his leadership.
“I think PAS is coddling (itself) over its inability to grab non-Malay voters. It has set a timeframe of one to two decades as an excuse for not being in the federal government.”