LET me take this opportunity to “thank” the PAS leadership for breaking up the unity of the opposition bloc.
This was done through the severing of ties with Bersatu, the undemocratic and unilateral appointment of former Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as the opposition head in the Dewan Rakyat and not least, the purge of Bersatu leaders from positions within Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Editor’s Note: This is most notable with the absence of Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali in the latest list of PN’s supreme council members led by Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as the chairman.
But then again, PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang’s name, too, is not on the list.
Additionally, the Islamist party had earlier made Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor as the coalition’s new election director by “dismissing from service” Bersatu vice-president Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Jidin.
Likewise, Azmin who is PN’s deputy secretary-general has also been “dismissed from service in order to fulfill the requirements of the PN’s constitution”.
There is a possibility that Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim might congratulate the PAS leadership for accomplishing a political feat that Pakatan Harapan (PH) itself could not achieve.
Similarly, leaders of UMNO might do the same for contributing to the weakening of the opposition front.
Had PN maintained its unity as an opposition bloc, there was a real possibility that it could have captured Putrajaya.
‘Wounded’ Bersatu will bounce back
The inability of the Hadi-led PAS leadership to seize this political opportunity was its greatest drawback.
As the saying goes, history is made not under circumstances of our own choosing but when opportunities present themselves at the right moment.
Unfortunately, PAS with all its political rhetoric failed to grasp the essence of politics that was crucial for electoral victory.
As a result of the severing of ties with Bersatu, it is doubtful that a PAS-led opposition can make a significant mark in national politics.
From the very beginning, PAS failed to adopt a national perspective, choosing instead to base its political strength on a handful of states. It miscalculated the political requirements necessary for a broader and more inclusive outlook.
Had PAS possessed a truly national political orientation, it could have mended ties with Bersatu.
The political differences between the two parties were not insurmountable. But as I have stated before, it was PAS’s jealousy over the growing political strength of Bersatu that propelled it on a journey of no return.
It would be premature to write Bersatu off the political map. Like a wounded tiger, it is merely licking its wounds.
Without the burden of PAS, a broader political horizon may now have opened up for Bersatu. Politics is not one-dimensional; it is about emerging from the doldrums with renewed strength and vigour.
In this respect, Bersatu – freed from the burden of PAS – might well emerge as a qualitatively different political party from what it was before. – June 19, 2026
Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
