ANALYSIS Since the inaugural Multaqa Serantau Alumni Al-Azhar Malaysia 2015 was convened last week to pave the way towards uniting PAS and Umno, the Islamist party is said to be in a state of conflict.

To some analysts, PAS is now seen to be in a shaky position, with several statements being made allegedly to foster cooperation with Umno.

Even though PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is seen to be “positive” towards the cooperation, the same cannot be said for his deputy, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

In fact, PAS vice-presidents Idris Ahmad and Iskandar Samad had also echoed Tuan Ibrahim’s statements.

As such, political analyst Jeniri Amir ( photo ) argued that the current conflict within PAS may be due to members who do not wish to be smeared by the crisis facing Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Aside from 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion donation scandal, there are also several other issues involving the PAS Kelantan state government and Umno at federal level that was a factor in some of the leaders’ resistance against any form of cooperation.

“There will always be two factions in the party and especially now when BN leaders are seen to be tangled up in all kinds of troubles. The party grassroots are asking, is it true the cooperation is in the name of unity?

“What was done by Umno before this is seen to be unfair to PAS and the PAS state government, like in Kelantan on the issue of oil royalty. Some of them (PAS leaders) do not want to be seen as condoning those issues,” he said.

The lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak also believes that even though there are rumours of PAS cooperating with Umno, it would not become a reality.

“It is not possible (to cooperate). In order to forge a cooperation, PAS should consider views from the grassroots and there should also be sincerity.

“It is impossible (for the parties to unite) because they are like oil and water. The possibility to cooperate may be there but it will be difficult because based on past records and statements, they have always tried to cooperate but failed.

“If they really want to cooperate, Umno must be seen as a party that is truly fair in terms of executing all monetary policies and show their sincerity, before discussions are initiated,” he said.

Political analyst Mohd Agus Yusoff, meanwhile, said that the two parties must change its goals if they want to proceed with pursuing cooperation.

The two parties, he said, must stop spouting cliches such as fostering cooperation in the name of Malay and Islam and instead unite to jointly resolve issues affecting the rakyat.

“If they are sincere and brave enough to cooperate, the issue of ‘Malay-Islam’ is too cliched. They should unite because there are many issues such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the rising cost of living that must be addressed.

“Highlight issues affecting the people and it must be for the people,” said Agus, a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Crisis of confidence

When asked about the conflict in PAS, Agus said that what happened is linked to a crisis of confidence among the Islamist party’s grassroots towards Umno.

“They are not divided but the members do not have faith in Umno. They are worried because the cooperation does not seem to have a clear direction and is still restricted on issues such as hudud and support towards the government’s policies. It is as if there is a personal agenda,” he said.

At the same time, he noted that PAS members may be more open towards cooperation that is based on an agenda for the people.

A similar view is shared by Ahmad Atory Hussain who said that PAS must provide an explanation to members and leaders who does not share Hadi's views.

The former lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia, however, said he believes that all members will eventually abide by any decision reached by the party leaders.

“In this case there are party members who may not understand. But if the leaders can explain the real situation, I think they will be okay. The leaders must explain all that can be seen and what may not be seen by the members.

“The divide is undeniable. Even within Umno there are dissenting voices but not as loud as those of PAS. This system is more democratic because all members are allowed to speak without any hindrance,” he said.

Rumours surrounding a PAS-Umno unity move resurfaced after former PAS vice-president Husam Musa ( photo ) launched an ‘attack’ against party president Hadi Awang whom he claimed had intended to form a unity government with Umno after the 12th general elections in 2008.

The issue also reached its peak after Najib was invited to officially open the inaugural regional Al-Azhar Malaysia annual gathering 2015 and was seen to be wearing a pair of pink baju Melayu that matched Hadi’s.

At the event, Najib also reiterated his offer to forge closer cooperation with PAS, by quoting a verse from the Al-Quran that touches on the importance of unity.

As the issue was unfolding, Idris later stressed that the views of individual leaders cannot supersede the decision-making groups within PAS and any individuals who wish to unite with Umno should leave the party.

ZULAIKHA ZULKIFLI is a member of Team Malaysiakini.