Upstart Amanah confident it can defeat PAS in Kelantan

SINGAPORE — The opposition Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) is confident that it can wrest the battleground state of Kelantan from rival Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), said the party’s deputy president, adding that Amanah wants to warn voters that a vote for PAS equates to a vote for the ruling coalition.

“We are very confident and we can feel the winds of change,” Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub told TODAY when asked if his fledgling party would be able to edge out PAS in the coming general election, citing dissatisfaction on the ground with PAS’ governance.

“Our role is to educate voters that PAS is in cahoots with Umno (United Malays National Organisation). So it is better for PAS to continue to be with Umno so people can see its true colours,” he added at the sidelines of a seminar organised by Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute yesterday.

Kelantan is PAS’ crown jewel, with the Islamist party having administered the east coast state for the past 27 years, since it was wrestled from Umno in the 1990 general election.

However, there has been dissatisfaction among Kelantanese over slow economic growth and a lack of jobs, as well as PAS’ improving relationship with rival Umno.

PAS has had a tenuous relationship with Umno since the 1970s, when it was once part of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition.

It pulled out of BN in 1977 because of differences with Umno.

Ties between the two parties have warmed up since last year, when Umno President Najib Razak urged PAS to work together with his party, in what was seen as an attempt to align the Malay vote ahead of the next general election, expected to be held this year.

Amanah has earlier said it would contest all seats traditionally held by PAS, although it is currently discussing seat allocations with Malay-based Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) — formed last year by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad — to avoid multi-cornered fights.

The leaders of Amanah, a PAS splinter party that was set up in September 2015, believe that if they can prove that their brand of progressive Islamic politics is more popular by edging out PAS in the vote count, it would send PAS into political oblivion.

During his talk, entitled Amanah: A Game-Changer in Malay-Muslim Politics, Mr Salahuddin highlighted the progressive nature of Amanah’s brand of politics, which promotes good governance, integrity and accountability. This he said, is in sync with the brand of politics promoted by the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition and which appeals to all Malaysians.

Dr Norshahril Saat, a fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, told TODAY that it will be a “tall order” for Amanah to wrest Kelantan from PAS.

“One must remember that it has always been a PAS stronghold since 1990 and there are pockets which are Umno bases, such as in Jeli and Gua Musang,” he said, referring to parliamentary seats held by federal minister Mustapha Mohamed and Kelantanese prince Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

“Amanah needs support from the rural/conservative ground to break into PAS’ grassroots party machinery.”

However, Mr Mohd Hisomudin Bakar, the executive director for Malaysian think tank Ilham Centre, said it is not impossible for Amanah to make inroads in the state.

There is already unhappiness on the ground over the state government’s failure to deliver a good performance since the death of highly respected spiritual leader and former chief minister Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat in 2015. The Kelantan government has also failed to tackle issues such as illegal logging and annual flooding.

“Umno Kelantan is seen as being uninterested in taking advantage of PAS’ poor performance and this has been interpreted as both parties working together,” Mr Hisomudin told TODAY.

On the other hand, Amanah has been making headway in PAS strongholds such as Kota Baru, Kubang Kerian and Tumpat, while PPBM has been well received in the Umno seats of Kuala Krai, Jeli, Gua Musang and Tanah Merah.

“The combination of Amanah and PPBM can threaten PAS in Kelantan,” Mr Hisomudin added.