YOURSAY | ‘I never thought PAS would actually warrant any merit to be appointed into…’

COMMENT | The PAS factor in Sabah polls

PeakyBlinder: This is a very good analysis by Malaysiakini columnist Bridget Welsh. Initially, I never thought PAS would actually warrant any merit to be appointed into the Sabah legislative assembly.

However, even if they warrant a seat in it, this does not mean that this will bode well with this culturally-diverse group of Sabahans.

PAS may have merit in allowing GRS the win, it doesn't mean that it would directly entitle them to a seat. They are not the party that Sabahans chose in the first place.

This is democracy, not kleptocracy and cronyism.

FairMalaysian: The categorical mistake made by both Umno and PAS in 2018 in contesting separately to deny a Pakatan Harapan win ended up in a disaster. For the first time in Malaysian history, Umno/BN lost power.

Realising the potential if they teamed up and a string of by-election wins prompted the two parties to form Muafakat Nasional. While it looked promising, their sight on Putrajaya seemed a distant dream after Bersatu and some deserters from PKR mounted a bid on Putrajaya and won.

I am not going to go into the "Malay unity" crap as that myth has been laid to waste and would be akin to flogging a dead horse.

Their divergent motives became clear soon enough. At the base was the greed for power and the spoils that come along with it. Beyond that, they are as different as any other political party can be.

While the agenda of Bersatu was laid down clearly by its president, Umno had to grudgingly tag along, hoping it may relieve the stress and pressure it was under.

In his "scheme of things", Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had laid out his modus clearly enough and for Umno to cry foul of late reflects either exposing its desperation in succumbing to an enforced marriage and/or falsely believing that its grassroots structure will keep it in good deed and hence will be able to withstand any external offensives, both perceived and real.

Muhyiddin is not a new kid in the block. It was soon apparent that there were already cracks within Umno.

While the party had trouble from freeing itself from its past, the tacit "siding" by some Umno leaders with Muhyiddin has not gone unnoticed. The Sabah elections unravelled the strain of keeping behind closed doors any discord and brought to the fore their differences.

If the union is still lasting, it is for want of keeping Harapan away from Putrajaya. With Umno openly making a stand against Bersatu, the only reason it will want to entertain PAS is to seek a stronger platform to combat the opposition.

There can be no surprise that, as it has always been, Umno has always been and wishes to remain a dominant party. It was when that became questionably doubtful that it sought an alliance with PAS.

There is always the possibility that it will seek to go its own way when its feels sure and comfortable enough and that will be the moment of truth for PAS - Umno may desert PAS.

PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang is neither naive nor ignorant of these possibilities. Who knows he is also strategising along the lines of Umno and Bersatu.

In the world of Malaysian politics, allegiance and partnerships are not predicated on trust and loyalty.

PAS would like to believe that it has attained centre-stage but it may have found out in the most unsavoury way that it will be important as long as Bersatu and Umno need it.

Steven Ong: The most damage to the development and peace in Malaysia would come from the religious schools where the kids are brainwashed by rewards and fear of punishment in the hereafter.

This is where the strong discipline and loyalty of its members and supporters are established and hardened. A Taliban-like state would be soon formed as PAS reinforce their conditioning in the states they now controlled and slowly spread to other states as now they are in the federal government.

Already, we are seeing the plan of their ministers in introducing a rewards-and-fear strategy to win supporters as they are convinced to support the religion albeit the race by all means.

The Wakandan: Generally, to some Muslims, PAS are religious extremists and to many non-Muslims, they are religious bigots. For those reasons, PAS as a party is considered divisive and negative.

However, by peddling religious agendas, they are appealing to certain people in this category, which never has any short of takers.

In the East Malaysian states, PAS would represent the most toxic characteristic of Peninsular Malaysians, which they loathe. Peninsular Malaysian's brand of racial division is rather alien to the practice of the East Malaysians that do not have clear racial divides.

PAS would do well to keep out of Sabah and Sarawak. By involving themselves there, which they would like to, they are liabilities to their Perikatan Nasional (PN) partners.

Bobby0: The Kitingan brothers (Joseph and Jeffrey) say one thing but actually practise the opposite. Today, they are partners with Umno and PN, which PAS is an equal partner.

Whether PAS get the nominated seat or not, it will not stop them. They now have a chief minister and a state administration that will even help them in many ways to further strengthen their position in Sabah.

So, it is no more the question of not getting the nominated seat, but whether they can continue with their agenda and that also at a faster pace. The window may not be opened forever. They know that. Now is the time.

So to PBS and Star, stop being hypocrites.

Ian2003: Yes, this confirms my observation that the stage is set and indoctrination would come and in about another 10 to 15 years where voters can vote at 18, there would be scores of compliant voters in their bank and the red-herring vernacular school is used as the reason of division when the indoctrination is the true divider of the nation.

Geram: With a budget of RM1 billion a year, just look around and see what is Jakim (Department of Islamic Development) doing to Sabah and Sarawak.

It’s just a matter of time that these two states will be like Semenanjung (peninsula).

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