PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang continues to wield significant influence within Perikatan Nasional (PN) due to the party’s numerical strength and the strong loyalty of PAS members towards their leadership, analysts say.
Although Hadi no longer sits on the PN Supreme Council, analysts noted that he remains the president of the coalition’s largest component party, which has long maintained strict internal discipline and loyalty among its members.
International Islamic University Malaysia analyst Syaza Shukri said PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is also regarded as one of Hadi’s trusted allies, having served as the Marang MP’s political secretary from 2008 to 2018.
She said Hadi’s influence over PN remains undeniable, and managing public perception surrounding his role would be a major challenge for the coalition.
“Hadi has a right to voice his views, but decisions made by the PN Supreme Council should be treated as final. Otherwise, PN risks being seen as lacking a clear stand and strong leadership,” she said.
Tensions over Bersatu ties
Last week, Hadi revealed that PAS was reassessing its relationship with Bersatu and was considering the possibility of contesting the next general election without the Muhyiddin Yassin-led party.
He cited several issues that had strained ties between the parties, including the replacement of the Perlis menteri besar and Bersatu’s resistance to admitting new Malay-Muslim parties into PN.
Hadi also warned that “patience has its limits”.
His remarks came only days after the PN Supreme Council announced that the coalition would pursue electoral cooperation with like-minded external parties for GE16 instead of accepting new component parties into the coalition.
Reports suggested the move was linked to Bersatu’s concerns that one of the parties seeking entry into PN, including Mukhriz Mahathir’s Pejuang, Ibrahim Ali’s Putra and Berjasa, could eventually be taken over by former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin.
Bersatu later expressed regret over Hadi’s comments, saying the matter should have been discussed internally within the PN Supreme Council.
PAS’s loyalty culture strengthens leadership
PN secured 74 seats in the 2022 general election, with PAS winning 43 seats, the highest number obtained by a single party within the coalition.
Bersatu won 31 seats but now holds 19 following a series of defections and the removal of several Muhyiddin opponents, including Hamzah.
Global Asia Consulting analyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said PAS’s culture of loyalty, or wala’, has allowed the party to remain resilient over the years, even after the departure of several senior leaders who later formed Amanah.
He said loyalty forms a core part of PAS’s political struggle and is common among parties rooted in religious-based ideologies.
According to him, this explains why Hadi effectively holds the final say in a PAS-led coalition even without directly leading it.
Discipline seen as PAS’s key strength
Zaharuddin said PAS had adapted its loyalty principle to the Malaysian political environment, where leadership decisions are treated as guiding principles rather than mere suggestions.
He said this approach has made PAS more organised and stable compared with other political parties.
“Compared with Umno and Bersatu, which often face compromises and internal divisions, PAS stands out because its collective discipline rarely weakens,” he said.
He added that loyalty to the party leadership remains central to PAS’s political identity and struggle.
