“Traitorous and reckless!” was one PAS leader’s response to Parti Amanah Negara’s launch on Malaysia Day.

“Unrealistic!” he said, when referring to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s announcement on Sept 23 that Penang is now a Pakatan Harapan government comprising DAP, PKR and Amanah.

Penang PAS secretary Fadzil Mohd Kemi said it is unrealistic because Pakatan Harapan has declared PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as its candidate for prime minister if the coalition wins in the coming national polls.

The former opposition leader is serving a five-year jail sentence for a sodomy conviction and will not be able to enter politics until 2025.

Still, it looks like the new opposition pact, minus PAS, is ready to face the coming general election (GE), more so after the Registrar of Societies has approved the change of name of the Workers’ Party to Parti Amanah Negara.

Yet, the question remains if Amanah and Pakatan Harapan can be viable alternatives to PAS and BN, said Fadzil.

'Opposition needs PAS'

Fadzil said that without PAS, or its ability to capture Malay votes in the Malay heartlands, Pakatan Harapan will fail in its effort to seize Putrajaya.

A party is useless if it cannot contest and win (at the very least, one seat) in the polls but the question for Amanah now is not so much winning, but which seats would it be contesting.

The only party which is not at odds with Amanah is the DAP, although those who are not comfortable with a party that appears communal or chauvinistic, and who would prefer a more Malay/Islamic make-up, would opt to join Amanah instead of PKR or DAP.

No doubt, they are many who are sitting on the fence, and would prefer not to join parties which they feel practice hero-worshipping as PAS does for its president Abdul Hadi Awang, or PKR for Anwar, the former deputy prime minister.

This pool is shrinking, with Umno still strong in the game, despite its critics claiming that the party is obsolete and can only make headway in the rural Malay heartland by bribery and threats of the community’s extinction if the opposition came to power.

PAS and PKR have their seats cut out for them in the past national poll, although both parties are said to not being able to agree on seven, leading to much dirty linen washed in public.

Amanah, the new kid on the block, has to work from ground zero. But who can they negotiate with?

Hadi has made it very clear that Amanah are the traitors to its party, “worse than enemies” was how he described those who abandoned the ship and formed the new orange party.

Which means Amanah can only negotiate with PKR. Is PKR willing to share seats with Amanah?

‘Agreement by consensus’

State Amanah pro-tem committee chairperson Mujahid Yusof Rawa ( photo ), when asked the question about possible seats that the party would be contesting, merely said, “We will be discussing it in the leadership council meeting, and will agree by consensus”.

The same was said during PAS’ tenure in Pakatan Rakyat, and yet PKR and PAS came out bashing each other over their fight for seven seats, including one in Sungai Acheh, Penang, where there was a scuffle between supporters of the two parties during nomination day.

In Penang, DAP contested 19 state seats (won all), PKR 16 (won nine) and PAS five. PAS merely won one seat in Permatang Pasir, held by assemblyperson Salleh Man.

Both DAP and PKR have guarded their seats - as all parties do - jealously, since winning the seats in 2008.

They have worked their magic in their respective constituencies, which resulted in winning more votes in 2013 compared to 2008.

Who in their right minds will give up their seats for even a good pal like Amanah?

So when the 2018 polls come, Amanah would have no choice but to field candidates in seats contested by PAS and Umno.

Non-Malay support needed

Amanah’s candidates - former PAS MPs or assemblypersons - have a fighting chance if they had won their current seats due to the support of non-Malay votes, like in Parit Buntar, where Mujahid won due to the backing of 80 percent of Chinese voters.

However, those depending on Malay-dominant seats have to brace for losses, unless the opposing candidates are weak, ridden with scandals, or simply, unwinnable.

In Penang, Amanah may have a fighting chance for victory even if fielded in PAS constituencies due to the massive number of Chinese votes, and with total support from its closest ally, the DAP.

In the past, these Chinese votes were cast in PAS’ favour, but many who supported the Islamic party’s non-Muslim supporters club have turned away since the party’s insistence on implementing hudud law.

These supporters are also sore with PAS’ and Hadi’s long protracted war with Guan Eng, so to say that Amanah’s entry into elections would only help Umno win may not be altogether correct, especially in Penang.

Which is why Amanah should start filling its war chest, sharpen its weapons, and get ready for the battle field.

For a win in any seat would most likely give its winning candidate a place in the state government’s executive council. Then the next question would be, which state exco member would be sacrificed to make way for an Amanah man?

These questions of course lie in the hands of the powerful chief minister. The coming national polls would be an interesting one to watch, as it is a real test, especially for Malay voters, who are spoilt for choice now, with Amanah joining the electoral fray.