On 21 Nov 2024, a news report reportedly quoted the Spiritual Leader of PAS as saying its component partner in the PN coalition is in no position to make a unilateral declaration that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) prime minister candidate.
He was quoted to have said PAS should now lead the PN coalition.
The Spiritual Leader is right.
In a parliamentary democracy, the party with the most seats usually forms the government.
The same should apply to a coalition of political parties.
By convention, the single party with the most seats leads the coalition.
What happened after the 14th GE in May 2018 and in Feb 2020 where the party with the least number of Members of Parliament, Bersatu with only 12 MPs – which was increased to 19 after 7 MPs from UMNO defected and joined Bersatu in 2019 - dominated the government was a blip as the circumstances in both instances were a first in the country’s parliamentary democracy.
As the then PM candidate for PH, Dr Mahathir readily admitted, May 2018 was a shock as the coalition didn't expect to win the 14th general election.
Feb 2020 was another shock when Bersatu, with its 19 MPs, withdrew from the PH coalition and coalesced with political parties from the then Opposition – 79 MPs from BN and 18 MPs from PAS - and a handful of renegade MPs from PKR who declared themselves as independent to form and lead a new government leaving PH with its depleted number of MPs as the new Opposition.
In the Cabinet lineup led by Bersatu that has 32 Ministers, PAS was rewarded with 3 Minister posts i.e Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law), Agro entrepreneur and commodities and Environment, only 10% of the total available Cabinet posts.
In the 15th GE in 2022, PAS emerged with 43 seats while its partner in the PN coalition, Bersatu won 31 seats.
As the opposition, the Shadow Cabinet line up, announced in Feb 2023 comprising 25 portfolios, MPs from PAS who has 43 seats, was named for 12 portfolios while MPs from Bersatu with only 31 seats was named for 13 other portfolios including the role of the Opposition leader.
In June 2024, Bersatu was left with only 25 MPs after the party sacked 6 MPs who, while still remained as members of the party, declared their support in April 2024 for PM10.
As the Spiritual Leader of PAS argued, PAS have no record of party-hopping compared to MPs from Bersatu.
And at state level, PAS leads the Perlis, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan state governments while Bersatu does not command a single state.
Subsequent to the establishment of the unity government in 2022, PAS went on social media with a poster accusing DAP of being a “parasite” riding on a Malay unity government that will, in the end, destroy the “weak” host forcing PM10 to come out and assure voters DAP would not be in control of the government.
If PAS were to continue playing 2nd fiddle, they will be the parasite which they accused DAP of, by riding on a Bersatu led government.
Past experience as the PM?
Before he elevated himself to become the PM in Feb 2020, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also doesn’t have the experience of a PM.
Experience in governing at the Federal level?
Despite Bersatu having 20 months head start in governing at Federal level, PAS was also governing at the Federal level albeit a shorter period.
What they lacked at Federal level, they made it up with their experience governing 4 state governments for more than 2 terms, which Bersatu don’t have.
It was interesting to see the newly minted VP of Bersatu backpedalling on its earlier statement on 19 Nov 2024 where he called on others in the coalition who have the ambition to become the next PM to stop dreaming only for him to say, 4 days later on 23 Nov 2024 that PN has never specifically discussed who will be the prime minister candidate for GE16.
Who was he calling for to stop dreaming?
Himself?
PAS?
Or others in Bersatu?
So what is PAS waiting for?
To be accused of being the parasite that they accused DAP of?
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