COMMENT | Over the weekend, the PAS muktamar was held in Temerloh, Pahang, and threw up more than its fair share of controversial claims.

While it is easy to dismiss PAS as a fringe party of the radical right, we have to be realistic and acknowledge that it cannot be taken lightly.

After all, it is the party with the most MPs in the Dewan Rakyat. It runs four state governments, is targeting more and seems to be making inroads.

While the original game plan of the opposition was to topple Umno/BN in the past, the voters who deserted Umno have been flocking to PAS, at least in certain parts of the country.

Indeed, it is PAS that seems to be benefitting the most from the malapportionment of rural Malay seats, a move that has favoured Umno for decades.