"When things fail, divert the blame to DAP" may be a narrative long associated with UMNO. But is PAS now echoing that same mantra?
Perhaps, that is what critics are asking after a recent outburst by the Islamist party's outspoken Information Chief, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, which has sent ripples across the local political scene.
To many, it would appear that when a political firestorm breaks out in the country—regardless of who actually sparked it—PAS only has one party to blame: DAP!
Of course, some critics may claim that it has something to do with the perceived success enjoyed by states where DAP is part of the administration.
Case in point: Penang. Now compare that with Kelantan or Perlis!
Or maybe its DAP’s strong and consistent stand against religious extremism and divisive laws that has made the Islamist party to deem it its number one enemy?
And now, things have spilled over to the ongoing constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan involving the state royalty.
For context, BN and PAS established control of the state following the August 2026 state elections.
Following that, ten appointed Exco members took a solemn oath of allegiance before the ruler, Tuanku Muhriz, on August 7, 2026, to form the new state government.
However, His Majesty revoked the appointments of all ten Exco members on September 20, 2026, after the Palace declared they had breached their oath of office under Article 38(5) of the State Constitution.
So what actually happened?
Well, barely a month after taking the oath, the Exco members made a shocking U-turn and signed a proclamation to allegedly “overthrow” the same ruler in preference for another candidate.
Such an action, unprecedented in local history, is bound to be deemed an act of treason—or in local parlance, “derhaka”!
Truth be told, the episode began earlier in a dispute involving the state’s undangs (territorial chieftains). However, the crux of the issue now was the alleged breach of the oath of loyalty to the ruler which had compelled His Majesty to act decisively.
To many observers, it would have appeared like a clear-cut case of violating the Constitution and the Rukun Negara.
In that regard, can DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke be faulted for challenging the Exco members to step down since they no longer recognized the ruler?
Being a local from Negeri Sembilan, Loke may have felt he had the right to comment on the highly sensitive issue—even after losing his Chennah seat in the August 2026 state polls.
He had also taken a jab at how UMNO and PAS were handling the royal dispute and how it might undermine the much-vaunted “Malay Unity” momentum.
Loke's remarks must have got on the nerves of the PAS leader and prompted him to retaliate. But why did he not simply address the breach of oath by the Excos?
Instead, he challenged DAP to state whether it would accept the same constitutional principle if a DAP Exco member were to be stripped of their post.
To many members of the public, that would have reeked of a desperate attempt to digress from the gist of the issue.
Why attack DAP's position instead of directly answering for his party's own actions?
The PAS leader's latest outburst is also bound to compel hardcore critics to ask:
- Why does the Islamist party always seem obsessed with mixing political rivalry with constitutional matters?
- Why the alleged tendency to deflect and divert blame to a convenient scapegoat instead of standing up and being accountable for its own missteps?
- Wasn't there also an earlier uproar sparked by its party supremo Hadi Awang, who “blamed” non-Muslims for allegedly being the root cause of corruption cases in the country?
- Finally, why do some of its leaders give the impression of infallibility—as if a religious platform shields political actions from criticism or blunders?
Coming back to the NS crisis, here's the inconvenient truth: when Exco members breach their oath of allegiance to a Ruler, it doesn't only affect integrity and constitutional duty—it also violates basic respect for the sacred institution of Constitutional Monarchy.
And that's a very serious matter!
Why doesn't PAS assume responsibility for its own actions instead of throwing the ball back at DAP?
After all, was it DAP that broke the oath before Tuanku Muhriz?
And was it DAP’s Excos who signed the proclamation to depose His Majesty?
The truth is, it was the seven UMNO, one MCA, one PAS, and one Wawasan Exco member who did it. Period.
To the watching public, it would seem like the Islamist party had unwittingly turned a disturbing royal crisis into a political circus by dragging its own enemy into the ring.
This begs the question: when political parties can no longer defend the indefensible—or own up to their own failures—does diversion then become their go-to weapon?
The bottom line is this: PAS may have finally secured a breakthrough in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, thanks to its shrewd political collaboration with UMNO. But won't constantly deflecting blame for its own woes to its political enemies—especially DAP—backfire sooner or later?
Main information source: The Vibes and FMT,
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