Deep trust deficits between PAS and Umno remain the biggest obstacle to reviving the Muafakat Nasional alliance, even as PAS leaders push for cooperation ahead of the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, political analysts have said.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man recently called for PAS and Umno to work together in the Johor state election, describing it as the right time to revive the Muafakat Nasional formula established in 2019 to consolidate the Malay-Muslim vote. The call comes amid PAS's increasingly strained relationship with Bersatu, which culminated on June 9 in the formal termination of their political cooperation.
Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya was quoted by Free Malaysia Today as saying that recent meetings between PAS and Umno leaders suggested a second iteration of Muafakat Nasional was increasingly possible, but cautioned it remained far from reality.
"The biggest obstacle is trust. Umno remains suspicious of PAS because of past experiences, namely when the Islamic party chose to establish Perikatan Nasional with Bersatu," Awang Azman said. "PAS, meanwhile, has to consider whether cooperation with Umno will weaken its position in PN."
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang confirmed last Friday that PAS and Umno leaders met in Kuala Lumpur, but described it as a routine meeting and said he was not personally involved.
Awang Azman described Johor as a potential "new testing ground" for PAS-Umno cooperation ahead of the next general election, noting that BN wants to contest on its own while the state election takes place amid internal tensions within the unity government.
Separately, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia analyst Mazlan Ali said Tuan Ibrahim's remarks should be viewed in the context of the deteriorating PAS-Bersatu relationship. However, Mazlan remained sceptical that Umno would accept PAS's proposal, noting that Umno had rejected PAS's overtures many times in the past and has a reasonable chance of winning the state polls independently.
Muafakat Nasional was established in 2019 following Pakatan Harapan's victory in the 2018 general election. The alliance effectively collapsed the following year when PAS partnered with Bersatu to form Perikatan Nasional.
The Election Commission has yet to announce nomination and polling dates for the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections. -- Source: Free Malaysia Today
