The absence of opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin from Umno’s recent general assembly has fuelled speculation that the party’s emerging Malay political pact may be focused on PAS rather than Perikatan Nasional (PN) as a whole, analysts say.
The assembly, held last week, was attended by several senior PAS leaders, including vice-president Idris Ahmad, secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, and Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman, the political secretary to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
Hamzah’s absence draws attention
Umno’s recent cooperation during the Negeri Sembilan state election had also involved Wawasan, a PN component led by Hamzah.
Wawasan secured three seats after contesting as part of the BN-led bloc, which later formed the state government.
Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said Hamzah’s absence was significant because Wawasan had previously positioned itself as a link between BN, led by Umno, and PN, where PAS is dominant.
“Wawasan has been trying to be the bridge between Umno and PAS, but a bridge is only needed for as long as the two sides do not have their own route,” he told FMT.
Political analyst Mazlan Ali agreed, saying the development suggested that Umno was prioritising direct ties with PAS rather than engagement with PN as a whole.
“Umno knows that PN’s real strength lies with PAS, and wants a more exclusive relationship with PAS,” he said.
Mazlan said Umno and PAS shared political history through Muafakat Nasional, while Wawasan, an offshoot of Bersatu, which itself was a splinter party of Umno, represented a different political trajectory.
Wawasan’s position under scrutiny
Mazlan said Wawasan secretary-general Saifuddin Abdullah’s earlier proposal that Hamzah be considered a prime ministerial candidate after GE16 may also have unsettled Umno.
He said the proposal was premature, coming at a time when the shape of political cooperation remained unclear, and could reinforce perceptions that Wawasan was pursuing its own power agenda within PN.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Umno might be more comfortable accepting PAS as a political guest because ties between the two parties could be framed around a Malay-Muslim narrative.
However, he said the presence of Hamzah and Wawasan carried a different sensitivity.
“For Wawasan and Hamzah, the history with Umno is too dark and too bitter,” he said.
Hamzah, a former Umno leader, left the party in December 2018 following BN’s defeat in GE14.
The Larut MP, together with several colleagues, joined Bersatu in February 2019. He subsequently rose to become one of PN’s key figures before being appointed opposition leader.
Umno-PAS ties could reshape political dynamics
Zaharuddin said developments in Negeri Sembilan and Johor showed that relations between Umno and PAS were changing.
However, he noted that a clear BN-PN formula for a political union had yet to crystallise, with negotiations over power still ongoing.
He said Wawasan’s leadership should reassess its position if Umno and PAS became more comfortable engaging directly.
“If Umno and PAS become increasingly comfortable negotiating directly, Wawasan would have to prove itself as not merely a political intermediary, but a party with real electoral value,” he said.
