Pakatan Rakyat needs to master “election tactics” in order to fully maximise the spike in support it received on the May 5 general election, said PAS vice-president Husam Musa.

Stressing that the need to strengthen PAS’ cooperation in the coalition, Husam said this is because the next general election will be the “final round” for Pakatan to come into federal power.

“We won the last general election in terms of the popular vote, so what’s left is the election tactics. We need to be concerned about this. We will lose if we let them (BN) control this part and we only care about sentiments,” he said.

He was responding to a question on PAS’ future at a forum in Kuala Lumpur, where he was a panellist alongside another PAS vice-president, Salahudin Ayub, central committee member Dzulkefly Ahmad and Batu Burok assemblyperson Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi.

Husam said that his decision to contest in Putrajaya in the last polls was also a tactical move to send a signal that Pakatan is edging closer to power.

However, Husam, who retained the Salor state assembly seat in Kelantan, claimed he lost in Putrajaya allegedly due to about 5,000 voters from other parliamentary constituencies like Batu and Bukit Bintang being brought in.

According to the PAS veep, the party must also “truly understand” the anxieties of the Malay community, even though racial politics is on the decline.

“We need to address the Malays’ real anxieties... to articulate issues raised through racial angles taken by Umno, which has affected the support we need from the Malays to make overall changes in our country.”

Fellow panellist Dzulkefly said the fact that PAS was purposely dragged into that corner by Umno does not mean that it needs to resort to old methods of trying to “out-Malay” each other.

“Between Umno and PAS, which of us is more Malay and which more Muslim?

“PAS will stay with its principles. We are confident that we can form a two-party system with Pakatan, so there is a check and balance, and so we can topple Umno/BN. That is our principle.

“We will not reverse this. You need not worry that we will flip-flop in our struggle,” he said.

‘PAS will never be like Nokia’

At the forum, the audience also raised the issue of sustainability of leadership in PAS, whereby young leaders from the party appear to be eclipsed by their counterparts in PKR and DAP.

Some also criticised PAS Youth for being in the forefront when it comes to demonstrations against concerts, but missing when it comes to national issues.

NONEIn response, Salahudin (right) said that 80 percent of the party’s top leaders came from the youth wing.

“PAS sees the leadership as something dynamic which pushes us forward. PAS will never be like (mobile phone maker) Nokia.

“Nokia was once advised to consider Android technology but they looked away. Today Samsung (which uses Android) has surpassed Nokia in the market.”

He said that the party is also aware that its anchor leaders like spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat and president Abdul Hadi Awang will likely retire sooner rather than later.

“I dare day that in the next five years, there will be a Malaysia without (PKR de facto leader) Anwar (Ibrahim), Abdul Hadi and (DAP adviser) Lim Kit Siang. This is a reality we have to face.

“No leader can prop up the world forever. The question of whether we will be relevant in the future is something we mut address objectively,” he said.