YOURSAY | “PAS did not rise because it suddenly became more competent or visionary.”

PAS tallies Umno's (mis)fortune for Zahid: 83 seats lost since 2004

Nada Villa: Before 2004, PAS was never a national force. It was a regional protest party that struggled to break out of its comfort zone.

In the 2004 general election, PAS was nearly wiped out, winning only seven seats - a near-death experience conveniently forgotten today.

PAS did not rise because it suddenly became more competent or visionary. It rose because Umno imploded under corruption scandals, splitting the Malay vote and creating a vacuum that PAS was fortunate enough to occupy. This is not political brilliance but political inheritance.

When Idris Ahmad, PAS vice-president and former minister, lectures Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi using selective arithmetic, he should be honest. PAS did not win hearts; it picked up the pieces.

Without Umno’s self-destruction, PAS would still be a regional party struggling for relevance, not one boasting on borrowed momentum.

HoyoHoyo: Hello, Idris, save your arrogance. PAS thrives on political Islam and rural Malay conservatism. It has strong grassroots networks and survived in the past on Milo-tin donations.

With the alleged misuse of Jana Wibawa and Covid-19 funds during recently resigned Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration, some of the hundreds of millions of ringgit ended up with PAS.

These funds, combined with its alignment with Bersatu, enabled PAS’ big gains in the 15th general election.

Outside the Malay heartlands, PAS cannot manage multiculturalism or multi-ethnicity. It shows no respect for non-Malays or for sound economic governance.

Without urban solutions, intellectual capacity, and questionable funding, PAS’ parliamentary numbers will decline significantly in GE16.

Aponakdikato: PAS rose by masquerading as a “non-radical Muslim party”, peddling misleading slogans such as “PAS for All”, and benefiting from the goodwill earned by its late spiritual leader and former PAS president Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Nik Aziz was the former Kelantan menteri besar, too.

If PAS were to stand on its own today, it would revert to its old “jaguh kampung” (village hero) status, confined to the so-called green states.

Milshah: From GE14 to GE15, Umno lost from 54 seats to 26, that's a drop of 28. With Umno holding only 26 seats, if it is not careful, GE16 could see a wipeout of the party.

Alarm bells should be ringing loudly at the Umno leadership. Umno need a proper direction desperately to bring back the Malay trust.

Umno-DAP cooperation would be played up by PAS/Bersatu to get Malay votes.

DAP is the bogeyman of Malay politics, as PAS is the bogeyman for non-Malay politics.

I find it strange that no one in Umno is discussing the downward trend - from a peak of 109 seats, just three short of forming a government on its own, to only 26 seats today.

Who should be held accountable for this massive loss? What is the way forward to return to 109 seats? These are the discussions Umno leaders should be having.

For DAP supporters, this is the benchmark you should aim for - 109 seats - if you want to be the dominant partner. Forty seats are simply not enough.

Apanama is back: PAS is the only Malay-Muslim–based party capable of reducing Umno seats to almost zero. Conservative Malay voters will ensure that Umno performs badly in the coming elections.

This trend is well known, which explains why Umno lost 83 seats, from 109 to a mere 26.

During the same period, PAS increased its seats from seven in 2004 to 43 in 2022, while Bersatu took a share of Umno's former seats. Some seats also went to PKR.

With Zahid helming the party, it is game over. He does not know how to turn the party around.

Look at how he handles that problematic Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh from Malacca. While that individual runs wild, Zahid remains silent and is only now willing to talk. Hopeless.

Many Umno members will cast protest votes against their own party, benefiting Perikatan Nasional. Look at Umno's upcoming general assembly.

There will be nothing beyond talk about former premier Najib Abdul Razak and Malay issues. There are no tangible results at the grassroots level. Nothing.

Dino: PAS, since you are so confident in yourselves, let go of the urge to reunite with Umno at every opportunity.

Unfortunately, whenever Umno reaches out, PAS cannot resist the temptation of fast power.

Fookchin: PAS can mathematically gauge Umno's winning chances in GE16, but it cannot gauge its chances of getting stabbed by its coalition partner.

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