PAS has thrown down a bold marker ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16) - aiming for 80 parliamentary seats, nearly doubling its current tally of 43.
Vice-president Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah revealed that the party intends to capitalise on widespread criticism of the unity government, particularly from non-Malay communities disillusioned with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its coalition with Barisan Nasional (BN).
Source:
Speaking at the launch of the 65th PAS Muslimat assembly in Kedah, Amar said the party’s ambition stems from its past trajectory. Before GE15, PAS had set its sights on 40 seats but eventually captured 43, emerging as the single largest party in the Dewan Rakyat. “In GE16, our target is 80 seats. We want to build on the momentum from GE15,” Amar stressed.
The Islamist party also intends to consolidate its grip over the four states it governs - Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis - while making inroads into Sabah, where it plans to contest seven state seats in the upcoming election expected by year’s end.
Tapping Into Non-Malay Criticism of PH
Perhaps most striking was Amar’s assertion that PAS should court non-Malay voters by capitalising on their growing dissatisfaction with PH and the unity government. He pointed out that many Chinese voters, once solidly behind PH, have become increasingly vocal about broken promises and frustrations over governance. “This presents a big opportunity for PAS to win new support,” he said.
This strategy, however, raises questions about whether PAS - long associated with Malay-Muslim-centric politics - can genuinely bridge the trust gap with non-Malay voters, or whether this is merely an opportunistic move in a climate of political fatigue.
Winning First, Choosing Leaders Later
On speculation about Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) prime ministerial candidate, Amar dismissed the need for premature announcements, insisting the priority is winning GE16. PAS Dewan Ulamak chief Datuk Ahmad Yahaya echoed this, saying the party has always placed electoral victory before naming leaders. “For PAS, the main focus is to topple the PH-BN government. Leadership will be decided when the time comes, with the King’s consent,” he noted.
With GE16 constitutionally required by February 2028, PAS has ample time to strengthen its machinery and refine its messaging. The key question remains: can PAS expand beyond its traditional base and capture non-Malay support, or will its target of 80 seats prove to be more aspiration than reality?
By: Kpost
Information Source:
Kpost (ckhorsk@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!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
