BY all accounts, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal’s potential move to PAS is more than just political realignment—it’s a recalibration of influence within a party that, for better or worse, is shaping Malaysia’s future.
While many moderates may bristle at the idea of a progressive figure joining an Islamist outfit, the reality is that PAS is dangerously influential, and it needs more minds like his to temper its ideological rigidity.
Wan Fayhsal’s educational pedigree—he holds a Master’s in Political Science from the International Islamic University Malaysia and studied at King's College London—sets him apart from the typical PAS profile.
Wan Fayhsal is currently taking Japanese language classes—a personal initiative, he told me, inspired by a desire to continue Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Look East policy. When asked why Japanese and not Mandarin, he replied simply: “Because I believe in the vision Tun set out.”
He’s one of the few politicians who can genuinely read the pulse of both rural and urban Malaysia, navigating the anxieties of kampung voters while engaging with the aspirations of city youth. That dual fluency is rare, and it’s precisely what PAS needs if it hopes to evolve beyond its current ethno-religious silo.
That contradiction is part of what makes Wan Fayhsal’s political journey so compelling. He’s often dismissed as “Mat Jargon”—a nickname born from his tendency to over-intellectualise and speak in dense academic terms.
Even among his peers, he’s been the subject of ridicule, caricatured as out of touch or overly theoretical.
And yet, he remains an elected Member of Parliament. Behind the memes and mockery are real constituents—people with hopes, frustrations, and dreams—who saw in him a voice worth backing. That fact alone demands a more nuanced reading of his role in Malaysian politics. Whether one agrees with his politics or not, Wan Fayhsal represents a generation of voters who crave something different: a leader who can speak policy, not just populism.
His departure from Bersatu is a blow to the party’s youth bench. Bersatu, already struggling to retain relevance post-Muhyiddin, has few young leaders with national stature.
Wan Fayhsal was one of the few who could articulate policy, connect with grassroots, and spar intellectually across the aisle. His suspension and sidelining reflect a party increasingly allergic to internal critique—ironically, the very thing it once promised to reform.
PAS, meanwhile, is not without its own internal contradictions. Its worldview often assumes a demographic dominance that Malaysia simply doesn’t have.
The party’s brand of Islamism might make sense in a country where Muslims form 90% of the population—but Malaysia is not that country. We are multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-lingual. PAS’s rigidity risks alienating the very diversity that defines us.
That’s why technocrats like Fayhsal—and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, a UK-trained aerospace engineer—are critical.
They offer a counterbalance to dogma, grounding policy in pragmatism. Others like Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki, with a PhD in political science, and Dr Halimah Ali, a medical doctor, also represent a more cerebral wing of PAS that could steer the party toward national viability.
Fayhsal’s good working relationship with PAS, even during his time in Bersatu, has always been an open secret. He did, after all, contest in the previous elections under a PAS ticket for the Machang constituency.
He was one of the few glue figures between the two parties, often mediating tensions and aligning messaging. His openness to joining PAS now feels less like defection and more like strategic repositioning.
Moreover, Wan Saiful Wan Jan’s exit from Bersatu is another significant loss—he brought with him a wealth of policy experience, having previously served as the founding CEO of IDEAS, a respected think tank focused on governance and institutional reform.
Wan Saiful's intellectual grounding and reformist instincts made him one of the few in Bersatu capable of articulating policy beyond party slogans. Losing him further hollows out the party’s bench of credible, forward-looking talent.
To be clear, I’m no fan of PAS or Bersatu. But I am invested in keeping PAS in check. And that requires more than criticism—it requires engagement. If Fayhsal can be a moderating force within PAS, then his move is not just good politics—it’s good for Malaysia. — October 24, 2025
A. Azim Idris is news editor at Scoop
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