COMMENT I find it interesting that despite all the talks about unity government and Umno’s support for the hudud laws, not only was Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak silent about the issue, the Parliamentary speaker did not fast-track Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill.

By now, Hadi should know whether Najib and Umno at large are serious about his private member’s bill, especially when the bill was not given the fast track in the same manner that both the Sedition Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) were bulldozed through in the current parliamentary sitting.

Most of us know the strategy used by Najib when he chose to remain silent (until today) over the hudud issue. It is just a political chess game, which unfortunately involves PAS’ all-important hudud laws.

When the war of words started between PAS and the DAP, as observers, we simply allowed it to happen. For Pakatan Rakyat to remain relevant to its supporters, most non-Muslims agree that PAS has to eventually leave Pakatan; otherwise, because of the hudud issue, Pakatan would lose its credibility with the urban electorates and in Sabah and Sarawak by the next general election.

Notice that DAP’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng merely said the DAP would cut all ties with Hadi Awang, instead of PAS as a whole. In Selangor, for example, DAP and PAS are working together closely. Just yesterday, both Hannah Yeoh (DAP) and Mohamad Sabu (PAS) were seen defending Pakatan MPs who were absent during the Pota vote.

DAP has no qualms working with the PAS deputy president. It is Hadi, who is PAS president, that has become a stumbling block to Pakatan’s good working relationship, but on hindsight, Lim’s move was a well-calculated decision, which now segregates Hadi from the rest of Pakatan.

In the theocratic Islamic party, Hadi is PAS and PAS is Hadi, as some may argue, but the truth is Hadi is now cornered, and checked, and it would be interesting to see his next move and how Umno would come to his rescue. Or, would Umno seize the opportunity to see PAS splitting into two, and becoming a non-challenger in rural electorates?

In my opinion, Lim’s decision to severe all ties with Hadi alone is also partly because he understands the sentiments of the people are with Pakatan Rakyat as an alternative to Barisan Nasional, no matter how wretched it may be.

Looking at the bigger picture, Malaysians have reached a point in the history of our nation that we no longer can tolerate a government that is heavily corrupted, arrogant and unjust. After nearly 58 years under Barisan Nasional, we want to see the emergence of a coalition that is capable of taking over Putrajaya through the ballot box.

A total breakaway from Pakatan simply because of DAP’s disagreement with PAS would earn DAP the people’s wrath, in much the same way that the DAP had left Barisan Alternatif causing the collapse of the alternative front in 2001.

I give the DAP one point up as it has finally learnt its lessons well from the 2004 general election after the people gave BN and Abdullah Badawi the boost, because they no longer had an alternative front to vote for.

A new Pakatan

Certain factions within Pakatan Rakyat have urged that a new Pakatan be formed. In order to remain relevant as an alternative front for the people, Pakatan Rakyat need to redefine itself, instead of confining themselves to just three parties in peninsular Malaysia.

The coalition should in fact include other parties willing to join force in order to give BN a run for their money in the next general election.

Be it PSM or other parties in East Malaysia, Pakatan has to continue to stride forward, despite the jailing of its leader, Anwar Ibrahim. A 67-year-old Anwar will not be forever leading the people’s coalition.

He has left behind a legacy at least for the moment, and the onus is on the younger Pakatan leaders like Nurul Izzah Anwar, Rafizi Ramli, Tian Chua, Azmin Ali, Hannah Yeoh, Yeoh Bee Yin, Lim Guan Eng and Tony Pua to bring Pakatan to the next level.

There is no reason why other opposition parties in Sabah and Sarawak cannot be aligned to Pakatan’s long-term strife, and yet remain autonomous as political parties within each state.

In the current political reality, pride and ego has to give way to better collaboration between parties in East and West Malaysia.

DAP’s adviser, Lim Kit Siang is right in asking why a prime minister cannot rise from within the bumiputra community in Sabah or Sarawak.

Both states were  equal to the Federation of Malaya when they formed Malaysia together with Singapore in 1963. There are also no shortage of talented people from Sarawak or Sabah, that we have seen so far in the likes of Idris Jala ( right ) and even PKR’s Baru Bian.

Even Bung Moktar Radin, an Umno elected representative from Kinabatangan, Sabah, can be a candidate for premiership under BN, so why only confine to a few key people from West Malaysia? At least we can all have a great time watching the antics of our next prime-minister-to-be.

The dilemma after PAS’ hudud

Although most non-Muslim supporters, including voters in Sabah and Sarawak, are not in favour of the implementation of PAS’ hudud laws - Najib being fully award of this, too - there are those in PAS deputy president such as Mohamad Sabu, affectionately known as Mat Sabu, who are pro-Pakatan and will continue to command the people’s respect.

Unless of course in the coming PAS elections in June, Hadi were to be replaced by a new president who is more pro-Pakatan, it is unlikely that the DAP would want to be seen together with PAS again. This is a fact.

As someone rightly pointed out to me recently, “Tell me, what is PAS’ contribution towards national development or their involvement in the expose of scandals by our politicians? Since Anwar’s jailing, Hadi Awang has not even said anything to show his support for Anwar.”

This is one major issue that PKR’s president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has to grapple with, because cooperation with Hadi would be almost impossible for the DAP for now.

In the Permatang Pauh and Rompin by-elections, it would be interesting to observe the dynamics of Pakatan Rakyat after Guan Eng broke ranks with Hadi. In the former, the candidate will be a PKR person (likely to be Dr Wan Azizah), and it is likely that both PAS and DAP will cooperate with the PKR candidate; but in Rompin, with a PAS candidate being fielded, would DAP lend its support to PAS?

The options are left open at the moment. It is either a Pakatan without PAS, or one with PAS without Hadi Awang, if Pakatan wants to continue to receive the support of the Chinese and Indian community as well as voters in Sabah and Sarawak.

What about PasMa?

With the current scenario, it appears to me that the only way for Pakatan to move forward is to have PasMa breaking away from the the ulama faction’s control of PAS. Perhaps, the hudud issue is indeed a blessing in disguise.

PasMa leader Phahrozi Fhahrozi has tossed up the suggestion that it would apply to be a political party before the next general election. In my opinion, it is not a question of choice, but if Pakatan wants to offer itself as a stronger coalition, PasMa has to better prepare itself to lock horns with even their former colleagues in PAS under the present leadership of Hadi.

Whether PasMa could see itself registered as a political party will depend on the Registrar of Societies, but its willingness to come out of the traditional PAS is already a good sign for Pakatan.

Once established, the new PasMa can become part of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, to further strengthen the support base beyond peninsular Malaysia. Most of us know that by themselves, the ulama faction of PAS will not appeal to the urban voters in the peninsula, or voters in Sabah and Sarawak.

After all, the question has to be raised what is Hadi’s own performance during his tenure as menteri besar of Terengganu, which he lost after just one term. Did PAS not have the strong support of the people in Terengganu? It has to be pointed out that if not for the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat, PAS would have also lost the state of Kelantan as well during the 2004 general election.

PAS’ eventual demise would therefore be solely blamed on one man, but PasMa as an offshoot, in order to remain relevant to the larger Malaysian community, would have to keep a broader outlook. It will be the platform for people like Hulu Kelang assemblyperson Saari Sungib and Morib assemblyperson Hasnul Baharuddin to be given seats to contest as PasMa representatives.

Part I: Will Umno back Hadi's private member's bill?

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.