Ramasamy: “PAS has only itself to blame for the weakening of the opposition”
COMMENT BY PROF. DR. P. RAMASAMY
CHAIRMAN, URIMAI PARTY &
FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER II, PULAU PINANG
Let me take this opportunity to āthankā the PAS leadership for breaking up the opposition bloc’s unity. This was done through the severing of ties with Bersatu, the undemocratic and unilateral appointment of Hamzah Zainudin as the head of the opposition in Parliament, and, not least, the purge of Bersatu leaders from positions within Perikatan Nasional (PN).
There is a possibility that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim might congratulate the PAS leadership for accomplishing a political feat that Pakatan Harapan (PH) itself could not achieve. Similarly, leaders of the United Malays National Organisation might do the same to further weaken the opposition front.
Had PN maintained its unity as an opposition bloc, there was a real possibility that it could have captured Putrajaya. The inability of the PAS leadership, headed by Abdul Hadi Awang, to seize this political opportunity was its greatest drawback.
As the saying goes, history is made not under circumstances of our own choosing, but when opportunities present themselves at the right moment. Unfortunately, PAS, with all its political rhetoric, failed to grasp the essence of politics crucial to electoral victory. As a result of the severing of ties with Bersatu, it is doubtful that a PAS-led opposition can make a significant mark in national politics.
From the very beginning, PAS failed to adopt a national perspective, choosing instead to base its political strength on a handful of states. It miscalculated the political requirements for a broader, more inclusive outlook. Had PAS possessed a truly national political orientation, it could have mended ties with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
The political differences between the two parties were not insurmountable. But, as I have stated before, it was PASās jealousy over the growing political strength of Bersatu that propelled it on a journey of no return. It would be premature to write Bersatu off the political map. Like a wounded tiger, it is merely licking its wounds.
Without the burden of PAS, a broader political horizon may now have opened up for Bersatu. Politics is not one-dimensional; it is about emerging from the doldrums with renewed strength and vigour. In this respect, Bersatu, freed from the burden of PAS, might well emerge as a qualitatively different political party from what it was before.
