An Umno leader has predicted that the 16th general election (GE16) could witness a political clash between Muhyiddin Yassin-led Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), currently headed by Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said tensions between Bersatu and PAS had intensified as Bersatu sought to become the dominant force within PN.
He claimed Bersatu believed it deserved key leadership positions, including the prime minister’s post, while its president Muhyiddin Yassin considered himself better suited to lead PN because the coalition also included two non-Malay component parties.
Bersatu accused of relying on PAS strength
In a Facebook post, Puad said Bersatu had overlooked the fact that it depended heavily on PAS’s grassroots strength and long-standing Islamic political foundation.
“Bersatu does not have strong grassroots support because 80% of its members are from Umno,” he said.
Puad also suggested that PAS could eventually remove Bersatu from PN if tensions continued to escalate.
“There is a possibility that GE16 will see a contest between IPR and PN. Perhaps it would be better for Bersatu to leave PN voluntarily,” he said.
Speculation grows over PAS-Bersatu ties
His remarks come amid growing speculation over strained ties between PAS and Bersatu following comments by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who suggested the Islamic party could contest the next general election without Bersatu.
The latest exchanges have fuelled concerns over the stability of the opposition bloc ahead of GE16.
Political analyst Syaza Shukri was quoted as saying that the escalating polemic between PAS and Bersatu had created unease among smaller parties aligned with the opposition through the loose IPR alliance.
She said parties linked to IPR wanted to see the opposition defeat Pakatan Harapan in GE16, but also recognised that achieving that goal without PAS would be difficult.
Smaller parties call for unity
Meanwhile, Malaysian Advancement Party president P Waytha Moorthy recently urged all parties within PN, particularly PAS, to continue prioritising unity and the interests of the people.
MAP is among the 11 parties under the IPR umbrella. Other parties in the alliance include Muda, Gerakan, Mukhriz Mahathir’s Pejuang, Ibrahim Ali’s Putra and P Ramasamy’s Urimai.
