COULD it be that UMNO’s push for an early 16th General Election (GE16) is not just about securing a new mandate but harbours certain political interests/agenda that could pave the way for PAS to land the coveted Prime Minister (PM) post?
Such seems to be the contention of Selangor PKR Youth head Muhammad Iman Haziq Mohammad Hamizi who claimed that latest developments in the UMNO-PAS pact points to both parties formulating their respective strategies ahead of GE16.
According to him, this can be seen through UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s call for national polls to be held earlier while PAS has also opened up space to present a Prime Ministerial candidate from the party.
“We can see how UMNO as part of the Madani government will pressure PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to hold the GE16 early so that PAS can become PM while the ummah unification and Malay unity sentiments are still having impact on the society,” he pointed out in a media statement.
“For UMNO, the issue of corruption may be ‘safe’ because PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has asserted that the issue of graft in Malaysia is being used to discredit his political opponents.”
Haziq whose view was cited by numerous Malay language news portals further envisages that PAS has the potential to win more seats than UMNO in GE-16, thus paving the way for the party to form a government with a simple majority of 112 seats (PAS was the biggest victor with 43 seats in GE15).
UMNO brushes aside prospect
“(Moreover), it’s not a problem for UMNO to give up the PM seat to PAS as long as the many UMNO leaders who are currently in court due to alleged corruption cases can escape their charges given according to PAS, corruption is not a crime,” jibed the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) member.
Bigger picture
Following their annual muktamar (convention), PAS Youth and regional leaders have openly stated that PAS should no longer play junior partner.
They argue the 43 parliamentary seats (compared to UMNO’s 26) won by the Islamist party in GE15 justify a PAS premier. Even party supremo Hadi confirmed they PAS has candidate in mind but the name will only be determined after seeing the number of seats won by each party.
However, Zahid who is also the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman has pushed back against early leadership declarations.
Historically, UMNO relies on its vast nationwide machinery and decades of federal governance experience to claim the premier spot in any Malay-centric coalition.
Despite this, evidence of a warming and cordial UMNO-PAS tie is in the air with UMNO not inviting its Madani ally Pakatan Harapan (PH) to its 2026 general assembly which will be held from Sept 9 (tomorrow) to 12 but has instead extended an invitation to PAS to reciprocate the party’s gesture of inviting UMNO to its recent 72nd Muktamar in Kota Bahru.
However, Zahid stressed that the UMNO annual assembly would not decide on cooperation with any coalition ahead of the GE16 with discussions to centre on potential benefits and repercussions for UMNO and BN should such cooperation be pursued.
“People want to see Malay unity, not only within UMNO but also among Malay-based parties,” he reiterated. “I don’t wish to link this solely to Malay political parties. The Malay community as a whole wants unity to be realised by everyone,”
As it is, political analysts have pointed out that while a formal UMNO-PAS electoral pact could dominate Malay-majority seats, determining the PM candidate remains their most complex hurdle.
Some insiders have suggested that PAS might eventually ease public and political resistance by nominating a more moderate, non-traditional figure like Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
However, as it stands, no formal agreement exists where UMNO has willingly stepped aside for a PAS premier. – Sept 8, 2026
Main image credit: AM Daily/Facebook
