PAS calls for greater prominence but Malaysia’s opposition coalition will likely stick together: Analysts

“Tan Sri (Muhyiddin) is the supreme commander of Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional,” Mr Muhammad Hilman said in his policy speech, as quoted by local media.

However, some PAS members called for greater prominence for the coalition’s largest party. 

Last month, PAS spiritual advisor Hashim Jasin urged PN to hold discussions on its chairmanship and its candidate for prime minister in the next general election. 

“The matter needs to be negotiated (by all PN component parties) instead of being decided by one party only. The negotiations have to be based on current realities and the strength of the respective component parties,” he said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today on Nov 22.

He added that his party is more deserving of leading the opposition coalition since it has more federal seats, a longer record in parliament and a proven political network across the country. 

“PAS as the party with most seats in parliament as opposed to Bersatu, would naturally feel that they should have a bigger role in leading the coalition into the next election,” Ms Aira Azhari, acting chief executive officer for the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) think tank, told CNA. 

PAS now controls 43 out of the 67 parliamentary seats under the coalition’s control with Bersatu holding the remaining 25, according to latest data from the Malay Mail. 

“Considering leadership qualifications, I believe PAS is better suited to lead, given our larger number of (parliamentary) seats and stronger nationwide machinery,” he added.

Another component party of the opposition coalition – Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia – also backed Muhyiddin to remain its leader, disagreeing with Mr Hashim’s claim that the eligibility to become prime minister depends on the number of parliamentary seats and the strength of grassroots machinery.

“The reality is that we need 112 seats to form the federal government, not 43 or 50 seats. If it were solely based on seat numbers, DAP would have certainly nominated its representative as prime minister in the current government but this is not the case,” Gerakan president Dominic Lau said in a statement on Nov 22, as quoted by the Malay Mail.

The Democratic Action Party (DAP) won 40 seats in 2022’s general elections. 

Separately, Muhyiddin’s recent announcement that Mr Azmin Ali was the incoming secretary-general of the opposition coalition caused dissatisfaction among PAS members.