It is natural that in the ebb and flow of politics, there will be good months and bad months for politicians and their political parties. Sometimes, the bad months have to do with ‘accidental’ events such as the revelation of a political scandal involving a party leader or member.

At other times, the bad months occur because one’s political opponent has announced a policy change which is greeted positively by the public. More often than not, bad months are simply caused by one’s own political miscalculations and blunders. The last explanation aptly sums up PAS’ bad month in June.

One would have though that with the conclusion of the PAS Muktamar in early June that any further discussion of unity talks with Umno would be conveniently ignored for politically expedient and strategic reasons. Those in favour of unity talks, most notably Nasharuddin Mat Isa, had won the deputy president contest.

Party leader Abdul Hadi Awang had already made his point that PKR and the DAP should not take PAS for granted.

And yet, some leaders within PAS refuse to let the ‘specter’ of unity talks die. After a meeting involving the top Pakatan leaders reaffirming the commitment of the individual component parties to the opposition coalition, PAS Youth has once again inflamed the political atmosphere within Pakatan by inviting Umno Youth to have an ‘intellectual discourse’ .

Why is it a political blunder on the part of PAS to continue to insist on having these talks with Umno?