Ramasamy: “PAS-BERSATU split strengths PH’s grip on power”
COMMENT BY PROF DR P.RAMASAMY
CHAIRMAN, URIMAI PARTY &
FORMER DPEUTY CHIEF-MINISTER II OF PULAU PINANG
As I have said before, the end of political cooperation between the two strongest political parties in the PN opposition alliance, PAS and Bersatu, means that the PH-led coalition will not face any major challenge in remaining the ruling coalition.
PAS has invented a number of reasons why it cannot maintain ties with Bersatu. Among them are the unseating of the Menteri Besar in Perlis, Bersatu’s alleged political interference in Kelantan and Terengganu, and the stand taken by Bersatu in Negeri Sembilan, among others.
The PAS Central Committee took the decision on June 8, 2026, to sever its six-year-old relationship with Bersatu. It seems that PAS is more keen on maintaining the “unity of the ummah” than anything else.
The recent attempt to forge ties with Umno on the platform of Muafakat Nasional (MN) does not appear to have been reciprocated.
One wonders whether the reasons given by PAS for severing ties with Bersatu were ones the party had been rehearsing for some time.
In my recent meeting with the President of Bersatu, Muhyiddin Yassin, it was clear that the party was prepared for the political eventuality of a break with PAS.
It was not something initiated by Bersatu, but rather by PAS with its brand of political opportunism.
On the one hand, PAS wants to “unite the ummah”; on the other, it wants to sever ties with Bersatu. Perhaps PAS should explain this contradiction.
The biggest losers in the severing of ties between PAS and Bersatu are Malaysians who wanted a strong opposition capable of providing effective checks and balances on the government.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim might be pleased with the latest developments within the opposition ranks.
He is now more or less assured of a second term in office, thanks to PAS.
Meanwhile, given the split, it is not clear what the future holds for the PN coalition. Since PAS appears more keen to pursue the goal of “uniting the ummah”, then PN should rightly be passed over to Bersatu.
