Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has reiterated that Islam now forms the foundation of Umno’s constitution, expressing hope that this development would ultimately make the existence of PAS unnecessary.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Malaysian Muslim Scholars’ Multaqa at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre, Zahid revisited a remark attributed to the late PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat in 2008. According to Zahid, Nik Aziz had suggested that if Umno were ever to place Islam as the basis of its party constitution, PAS would cease to be relevant and would dissolve.
Zahid said that statement left a strong impression on him and later influenced a key decision when he assumed Umno’s leadership. He explained that one of his earliest priorities was to formalise Islam as the central pillar of the party’s constitution, a move that was eventually realised in 2019. Despite this constitutional change, he noted that PAS continues to exist, adding that he hoped the party would eventually dissolve of its own accord.
The amendment to Umno’s constitution was tabled as a special motion during the party’s general assembly in 2019. Delegates unanimously endorsed the changes, which reordered the party’s foundational principles by placing Islam first, followed by race and the nation. The amendment was framed by Umno leaders as a reaffirmation of the party’s long-standing ideological position rather than a departure from its past.
Zahid also referred to earlier proposals made by Nik Aziz during the political realignments following the 2008 general election. At the time, Nik Aziz had reportedly suggested that both Umno and PAS be dissolved to make way for a new political party founded on Islamic principles. That proposed party, he had said, would unite the Malays and serve as a platform open even to non-Muslims. The idea, however, never materialised and remained largely symbolic.
In his address, Zahid rejected claims that Umno had ever sidelined Islam, arguing instead that the party had played a central role in safeguarding the religion’s position within Malaysia’s constitutional framework. He said Islam’s status as the religion of the federation was firmly entrenched under Article 3 of the Federal Constitution, while the role of the Malay Rulers as protectors of the faith was strengthened through Article 38.
He added that these constitutional provisions represented significant contributions by Umno that should not be overlooked, stressing that the party had consistently upheld Islam while navigating Malaysia’s multi-religious and multi-ethnic political landscape.
Zahid’s remarks come amid continued rivalry between Umno and PAS over religious and political legitimacy among Malay-Muslim voters, highlighting how constitutional identity and historical narratives remain central to Malaysia’s evolving political discourse.
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