PETALING JAYA: PAS may be fast‑tracking its ambitions for federal leadership, viewing its cooperation with Umno as the party’s best chance of leading Putrajaya, according to a political analyst.
Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan said PAS recognises that, on its own, it would struggle to build the nationwide influence and support needed to form the federal government, even in the long term.
He said Umno enjoys broader appeal across Malaysia, while PAS’s strength is concentrated in Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Azmi said PAS’s current partnership with Umno was not simply about political survival but about positioning itself closer to federal power.
“I don’t think PAS is prepared to wait another 10 years to be part of the federal government or to see one of its MPs appointed prime minister.
“I don’t think that is the intention behind its current cooperation with Umno,” he told FMT.
Azmi said PAS may be willing to defer to Umno for now, though a swift shift in tone may occur if the outcome of the next general election (GE16) favours the Islamic party.
"Playing second fiddle now is just to ride on Umno's popularity," he said. "But if they have the greater number of seats, PAS will push for the prime minister's post."
According to Azmi, the Perikatan Nasional coalition may be turning into a “thing of the past” for PAS, though the party may continue working with Hamzah Zainudin's Wawasan.
Last week, former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan suggested that PAS may be prepared to wait between five and 10 years before mounting a serious push for national leadership.
He said Umno seems more focused on regaining power immediately, while PAS may prefer to use its time in government to build administrative experience and increase familiarity among voters and civil servants with the party.
Another analyst, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, agreed with Shahril, noting that PAS was aware of its shortcomings when compared to Umno, particularly its lack of prominent figures and experience in federal administration.
He said Umno, which governed Malaysia from independence until 2018, has decades of experience that PAS can learn from.
"PAS faces the limitation of being perceived as a local party with appeal primarily among traditionalist Malays.
“It needs more time to learn from Umno’s experience in the federal government before it is truly ready to take over the reins of power itself in the future," he said.
Mazlan expects PAS to allow Umno to lead Putrajaya if the two parties succeed in forming a government after GE16.
However, he cautioned that such a move could backfire on PAS, while potentially aiding Umno's bid to regain support among Malay voters.
“A major risk for PAS is that if Umno manages to regain the trust of the Malays, as it did in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, PAS could lose its influence, given that the two parties compete for the same segment of Malay voters," he said.
Mazlan said PAS and Umno were ultimately political rivals, and that any gains achieved through cooperation could eventually result in renewed competition.
An alliance could strengthen both parties and improve their chances of winning GE16, he said, but its long-term success would depend on whether they are able to maintain ties.
“If the relationship between the two parties is not further strengthened, they may well return to competing against each other on the political stage for the Malay vote in the future,” he said.