COMMENT | PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang displayed his inclinations towards Barisan Nasional when he contradicted his deputy over the treatment towards the government.

Echoing the words of the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had earlier said that Umno cannot be trusted after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak refused to allow Act 355 to be tabled in Parliament.

There is obviously a crack in the PAS leadership since the top two leaders could not see eye-to-eye regarding their relationship with Umno.

PAS can only be a vote-splitter

With Hadi cozying up to Umno in the lead-up to the 14th general election, it is unlikely that PAS would attract the non-Muslim voters, especially in Selangor.

At the last general election, a number of PAS seats were won with the support of the non-Muslim community. In the Umno stronghold of Paya Jaras, for example, Mohd Khairuddin Othman defeated the Umno incumbent, Muhammad Bushro Mat Johor.

This was apparently because of the support of the non-Muslim community in the constituency. Will Khairuddin be so fortunate in the coming election? I guess not.

I would rather vote for Amanah, since these were the people formerly in PAS that we are familiar with. In my opinion, PAS will be in a big dilemma.

If it fields its candidate in Paya Jaras, it would not split Umno’s votes; if it helps Umno to win, the PAS grassroots would turn against the leadership. Either way, PAS will be on the losing end.

Therefore, Pakatan Harapan should place a candidate in every constituency that PAS has a candidate. The odds are against Umno and PAS as Pakatan Harapan has a better chance of winning because PAS will become Umno’s vote-splitter.

Pakatan Harapan will enjoy the support of the non-Malay communities after Act 355 was played up by Najib’s administration. At the same time, Pakatan Harapan will win, with the support of Malay voters who support Amanah, PKR and Bersatu.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad still commands a strong following, even after he left Umno...