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PETALING JAYA: The union of Islamic party PAS and Umno two years ago was a political romance that warmed the hearts of many Malays unhappy with the then ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.

The alliance of the two parties in Muafakat Nasional gave birth to the idea of uniting the Malay community under a Malay-run government.
But the courtship came with much baggage.

Since the 1950s, both parties have been fighting for the attention of the same group of voters, with one claiming to be more Islamic than the other.

The rivalry intensified when Umno successfully wooed three PAS Terengganu state assemblymen to switch sides in 1961, causing PAS to lose control of the state government.

Since then, several MPs from PAS had jumped ship to Umno, and both parties remained wary of one another, said political analyst Kamarul Zaman Yusoff of Universiti Utara Malaysia.

However, all was forgiven with the formation of Muafakat Nasional in September 2019, an idea strongly supported by party leaders and grassroots. “It was seen as a fresh start,” he told FMT.

But the relationship became rocky again after PAS started working closely with ruling Perikatan Nasional.

“The current issue is that Umno does not like the fact of PAS joining PN. Umno wants PAS to be with them, as Umno has bad blood with PPBM,” he said.

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