AMANAH AGM The inaugural Amanah national convention ended yesterday with a challenge that could backfire on the opposition and put it in a difficult spot.

The fledgling party indicated that it was prepared to square off with PAS in the next general election - an act that may derail the opposition's gambit to win the polls through straight fights with BN.

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu initially gave the impression that the party's enemy was BN, not PAS, in his opening speech on Saturday.

However things took a different turn when toward the end of his closing speech he declared that Amanah had a good chance at winning Kelantan and Terengganu.

This was a direct challenge to PAS, which has held Kelantan since 1990, and whose president Abdul Hadi Awang operates out of Terengganu.

"Out you go!" he thundered while talking about capturing Kelantan from PAS.

Earlier Amanah Youth chief Sany Hamzan also made similar remarks, saying the party would be contesting wherever PAS was.

"Two cornered, three cornered, four cornered, we will fight!" Sany shouted.

Lessons not learned

Such a challenge flies in the face of warnings from pundits including former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who said multi-cornered fights would most likely work in BN's favour.

It also ignores the results of the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections in June, where a warring PAS and Amanah handed BN an easy win .

This crushing blow was scarcely mentioned at the convention, with Amanah elections director Hatta Ramli only remarking that a committee is reviewing the outcome of the twin polls.

Precisely how the PAS splinter group plans to achieve victory in Kelantan and Terengganu was also not made clear.

Both states have a high concentration of rural and semi-urban Malays, whom - based on the June by-elections - appear to favour either PAS or Umno.

Mohamad said voters in the two states had independent minds and have a tendency to shift their votes en masse.

"When Kelantan voters swing, it would be a whole bloc swing.

"Terengganu is the same when they change, they do a somersault," the Amanah president fondly known as Mat Sabu said.

However there was no strategy mentioned on how to ensure such a swing.

No clear strategy

Meanwhile, unlike the Umno general assembly a fortnight ago where Malays were told repeatedly to support Umno or risk having DAP destroy their rights and privileges, Amanah's message on how to get support from the Malay Muslim community was unclear.

Some, including Amanah strategic director Dzulkefly Ahmad, said the party would be fighting against BN while continuing the Islamic struggle that PAS had deviated from.

"We will spread our message among the Malays whose thoughts have been sullied by Umno and the old party (PAS).

"To fight this oppressive government and end the malfunction of the old party, our participation (in politics) is not just wajib (compulsory), but we must continue to fight for the true struggles of Islam," he said.

However, as the speakers had time constraints, Dzulkefly's speech like those of the other leaders lacked depth and specifics on what they were fighting for.

Little was offered to show that Amanah is a viable alternative to PAS.

Amanah secretary-general Anuar Tahir did however say the party was more democratic than PAS, and ensured that all its members have their own voice, even to criticise the party president.

"Who says our president can't be rebuked?" he said, adding that the Amanah president was often challenged in leadership meetings and didn't have any veto powers.

Acceptance of non-Muslims

One clear difference between Amanah and PAS however, is the new party's acceptance of non-Muslims.

Non-Muslims can join as full members who can vote and contest for party posts, as compared to PAS, which only allows non-Muslims to become associate members.

When asked whether a non-Muslim could one day head Amanah's advisory council - its alternative to PAS' syura council - Anuar left the matter open ended.

"Whether the advisor is a Muslim or non-Muslim is not dictated by our party constitution," he said.

Penang Amanah committee member Lai Kong Hooi believes that unlike PAS, Amanah has no intentions to amend the constitution to make the country more Islamic than it already is.

"It's a new Islamic party with a more modern ideology.

"Amanah is not like what we have heard from the outside, that it's all about Islam," he told Malaysiakini.

Lai, who is also Bukit Bendera Amanah vice chief, said the party is also a Malaysian one, where racial identity does not matter.

Malay heartland elusive

But while appealing to non-Muslims is a worthwhile strategy for gaining support in urban or mixed constituencies, it is unlikely to help Amanah where it matters the most.

This is because urban and mixed seats are niche areas for DAP and PKR, while Amanah is supposed to be Pakatan Harapan's alternative to PAS, which means it needs to win over the Malays in the heartland.

However, without any clear agenda for Malay Muslims, Amanah could face a tough battle.

If this doesn't change, any plans for a grudge match with PAS at the polls may just make Amanah the spoiler candidate who divides opposition supporters, allowing BN to score an easy win.