PETALING JAYA: Umno appears to be seeking a shortcut to gaining ground in the four PAS-dominated states, collectively known as SG4, by challenging the Islamic party to give up a third of the seats there to demonstrate its sincerity, an analyst says.
Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia said the demand by Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed was clearly a manoeuvre to help the Barisan Nasional linchpin regain some ground in Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perlis.
“I see this really as Umno looking for an easy way to break through, especially in states like Terengganu and Kedah, where its influence has long been on the decline," she told FMT.
Syaza said the demand appeared unfair when Umno did not make room for PAS in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls and was unlikely to do so in the Nov 14 Melaka state election.
“I don’t think it is fair to put PAS through this test of sincerity. Has Umno shown its sincerity? It feels one-sided to put it on PAS just because it holds a dominant position there,” she said.
“I know there’s a lot of talk about PAS’s history of abandoning its partners, but Umno has a history of being overly dominant as well. So, if Umno wants to make demands on PAS, it’s only fair for Umno to be ‘tested’ too.”
Umno led the Perlis government until 2022 when PAS wrested control of the state. PAS has also established Kelantan as its stronghold although Umno led the state from 1978 to 1990.
Meanwhile, the Kedah and Terengganu state governments have changed hands between Umno and PAS several times.
The Islamic party has nonetheless tightened its grip on all four states, with its Perikatan Nasional coalition sweeping most, if not all, parliamentary and state seats there in 2022 and 2023.
By comparison, Umno currently has only two elected representatives across all four states, specifically two assemblymen in Kelantan.
On Sunday, Nur Jazlan said PAS should allocate one-third of the seats in the four states to Umno to demonstrate its sincerity in pursuing Malay unity.
Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan said Nur Jazlan’s statement would throw a spanner in the works in the negotiations between Umno and PAS, especially in Kedah where Umno is seeking to make a comeback.
Azmi said it was clear that Kedah Umno leaders were upset with Nur Jazlan’s statement, especially since the northern state was difficult territory for the party and PAS has established dominance there.
“His statement makes it difficult for Kedah Umno to negotiate the terms of its cooperation with PAS,” he added.