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By Mihar Dias January 2026
For decades, PAS has been the most influential passenger in Malaysian politics. Always in the car, often giving directions, sometimes reciting prayers for the journey—but never quite insisting on holding the steering wheel. Until now.
With Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stepping down as Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman and Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang calmly announcing that PAS will “continue to lead” the coalition because the Muktamar has spoken, Malaysian politics may have crossed a psychological Rubicon. https://newswav.com/A2601_Ylrh0f?s=A_bnFxI4P&language=en
PAS, for the first time in its long and winding history, is openly declaring interest in being in the driver’s seat—not as a moral compass, not as a coalition conscience, but as the one deciding the route.
This is new. And not in a small, technical, “administrative restructuring” kind of way.
For most of its political life, PAS has thrived as an ideological heavyweight without the burden of executive ownership. UMNO drove, Bersatu drove (briefly, nervously), PKR occasionally touched the wheel, and PAS offered directions that were always clear, often uncompromising, and conveniently immune from the consequences of potholes and traffic jams. Being the navigator has its perks. When the car crashes, you can say you warned them about the turn.
Now PAS wants to drive.
Abdul Hadi’s remarks were delivered with trademark serenity—after a Duha lecture, no less—suggesting that this was not a power grab but merely the fulfilment of a divine administrative process endorsed by delegates. https://newswav.com/A2601_Ylrh0f?s=A_bnFxI4P&language=en
The language matters. This wasn’t framed as ambition; it was framed as obligation. PAS is not seeking leadership, it is mandated to lead. Responsibility, not desire. Destiny, not politics.
Which is precisely what makes this moment politically fascinating—and faintly alarming, depending on your disposition.
Because leadership changes everything.
The moment PAS takes formal control of PN, it stops being the party of ideals and becomes the party of outcomes. Abstract righteousness must suddenly coexist with fiscal policy, foreign investment, federalism, multiracial anxieties, and the small inconvenience of global reality. Running a coalition is not the same as running a sermon. Coalitions require compromise, ambiguity, and the occasional swallowing of principles in the name of stability. These are not PAS’s traditional strong suits.
And what of PN itself? Bersatu, already weakened and leaderless at the coalition level, risks being reduced to a junior partner whose main function is to supply secular reassurance to nervous voters and former civil servants. PAS may say it already has a candidate for chairman, but the silence on Muhyiddin’s future role speaks volumes. In Malaysian politics, when “no decision has been made,” a decision has usually already been made—just not announced yet.
The delay in convening a PN meeting, attributed to “administrative and management matters,” is also deliciously on brand. Nothing signals smooth leadership transition like a coalition that cannot find a date for a meeting while the steering wheel is already being pried loose.
Zoom out, and the implications are bigger than PN.
A PAS-led coalition normalises the idea that the party is no longer content with moral veto power but seeks executive dominance. This shifts the centre of gravity of opposition politics—and potentially future government politics—further towards religious legitimacy as a primary source of authority. Not persuasion. Not performance. Legitimacy.
For non-Malay, non-Muslim Malaysians, this will sharpen long-standing anxieties about where they fit in the national story. For Malay voters, especially the conservative heartlands, PAS’s move signals confidence: the belief that the country is ready, or can be made ready, for its leadership vision. For UMNO, watching from the sidelines, this is a nightmare scenario—out-Islamed, outflanked, and reduced to nostalgia.
The irony, of course, is that the moment PAS truly leads, it loses its favourite excuse: we were not in charge. From now on, if the road is bumpy, the fuel runs out, or the destination keeps changing, Malaysians will know exactly who is holding the wheel.
And in politics, as in driving, everyone has principles—until they hit traffic.
PAS has waited a long time for this moment. The question now is not whether it can lead, but whether it is ready to be judged not by intention, but by consequence.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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