KUALA LUMPUR: PAS may either leave or be expelled from the Perikatan Nasional coalition, after deciding to end its political cooperation with Bersatu, according to a political analyst.
Director of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, Associate Professor Dr Mazlan Ali, said PAS could not determine Perikatan’s direction on its own, as the coalition also comprises Bersatu, Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP).
"PAS represents only one voice. Since PAS has severed ties with Bersatu, there is a possibility that the three component parties in Perikatan could decide to expel PAS, and the coalition is expected to be led by Bersatu president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,” he told Bernama.
He said PAS may form a new political alignment to face the next general election, further fragmenting the opposition bloc.
"We will likely see two different opposition blocs ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16) - Perikatan, led by Bersatu, and another new alignment, spearheaded by PAS,” he said.
Mazlan said the split between PAS and Bersatu could potentially benefit Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, if Malay support is no longer concentrated within a single opposition coalition.
On Monday (June 8), PAS president, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, announced that the party had officially decided to end its political cooperation with Bersatu, after taking into account reports, studies and current assessments of relations between the two parties.
Following the decision, Muhyiddin, in a statement on Tuesday (June 9), said that Bersatu, as a founding party of Perikatan, would remain in the coalition and continue to strengthen its core struggle.
Meanwhile, Professor Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, of the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said PAS and Bersatu were expected to face political repercussions following the decision, as well as significant challenges in winning voter support.
He said Bersatu was likely to be more affected, as it relied heavily on PAS' grassroots machinery and support base.
"However, PAS will also face challenges in expanding its influence in mixed constituencies, without the support of a strategic partner,” he said.
Sivamurugan said the development had also created uncertainty within the opposition bloc, and opened the door for other parties to realign their strategies, to strengthen their positions ahead of GE16.- Bernama
