PM Anwar makes play for PAS support to boost backing from Malaysia’s Malay majority

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is planning to woo the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) to boost his credentials among Malaysia’s Malay majority as his 19-month-old government faces tough challenges, including an unpopular fuel policy and a July by-election battle that his party is expected to lose.

The ruling coalition could also lose its important two-thirds majority in Parliament by July, when the Speaker of the Lower House must decide whether to strip six pro-government MPs of their seats. This would make it all the more urgent to get the support of the Islamist party.

Malaysia’s political circles went into a tizzy on June 22 when government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil, in reply to a question on whether PAS will join the unity government, claimed that there has been “a lot of discussions” to bring PAS to the side of the Datuk Seri Anwar’s unity government.

But Mr Fahmi, who was speaking to reporters outside the Sungai Bakap by-election nomination centre in Penang, did not say in what form PAS might back the government.

He said there had been talks between Mr Anwar and the menteris besar of the four PAS-led states – Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis – and PAS lawmakers.

His claims were quickly dismissed by PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan and the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) secretary-general, Mr Anthony Loke, who is Mr Anwar’s close ally in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) three-party alliance.

“The ‘negotiations’ mentioned by the minister (Fahmi) – especially between the menteris besar of PAS-led states and the Prime Minister – are normal negotiations related to the administration of states and the federal government,” said Datuk Seri Takiyuddin.

Still, Mr Fahmi’s claims may have unsettled PH itself, which comprises the Chinese-led DAP, PAS offshoot Parti Amanah Nasional, and Mr Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). It is unlikely that Amanah, led by former top PAS officials, would accept its arch nemesis into the fold.

DAP, which contributes the most number of federal lawmakers – 40 MPs – to the ruling coalition, is mostly backed by ethnic Chinese and Indian voters, and its supporters could flee if it agrees to allow PAS into the government.

Said political pundit Bridget Welsh: “PAS joining the unity government would be a red line for DAP, and could erode non-Malay support that has been mobilised to support the unity government in opposition to PAS.

“This announcement indicates that PKR continues to prioritise winning Malay support over that of non-Malays.”

The claims by Mr Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, were also seen as a bid to win Malay hearts in the Sungai Bakap by-election on July 6, said Dr Welsh, an honorary research associate with the University of Nottingham’s Asia Research Institute Malaysia.

Malay-Muslim voters make up nearly 60 per cent of the Sungai Bakap state constituency. The ward was held by a PAS assemblyman until his death on May 24. The by-election pits PAS leader Abidin Ismail against a PKR candidate, Dr Joohari Ariff.

Estimates by pollsters found that in the November 2022 general election, the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance of PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) won 52 per cent of the total Malay vote, followed by Umno-led Barisan Nasional with 32 per cent, and PH with just 15 per cent.

Professor Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist with Sunway University, told The Straits Times that he believes Mr Fahmi’s message was to show PAS supporters that PM Anwar and the Islamist party are making peace and that the Penang contest is a friendly match.

“Fahmi is trying to tell PAS supporters that they should not go all out to stop PH. This has forced PAS to deny the claims, whether the discussions are real or not. DAP has to deny it because the non-Muslims would be disheartened if PAS is indeed joining the government,” he said.

The Anwar government on June 9 removed a long-time subsidy for diesel with the aim of reducing government debt, but this has led to widespread complaints about soaring living costs. The price of diesel was floated to the market rate of RM3.35, up 44 per cent from its previously subsidised pump price of RM2.15.

Another jolt to the government could be in store in early July, when Parliament Speaker Johari Abdul, a close ally of Mr Anwar, has to decide whether six Bersatu MPs will have to vacate their seats and by-elections must be called.

The six MPs had declared support for Mr Anwar while remaining with Bersatu, but the party has amended its Constitution to prevent MPs from supporting another faction.

The co-founder of opinion research firm Merdeka Center, Mr Ibrahim Suffian, told ST that Mr Fahmi’s claims may also mean that PM Anwar is not closing the door on future cooperation with PAS.

“It’s also in line with the current political situation in Malaysia – coalition politics is the way of the future,” said Mr Ibrahim.

He also suggested that there could have been discussions for PAS to support certain parliamentary Bills critical to the government in the form of a confidence and supply agreement. In return, Mr Anwar’s government could grant support for the financially weak states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis controlled by the Islamists.

“There are some elements in PAS that want to stay true to the Malay-Muslim agenda, but there are also pragmatists in the party. This faction wants to find a way to cooperate with the federal government instead of having an adversarial relationship.

“The states they rule are impoverished and need more resources. By supporting certain Bills without joining the government, PAS is also portraying itself as a moderate national party that can be trusted by all Malaysians instead of a conservative rural Islamist party,” said Mr Ibrahim.