PAS has to decide between Umno and PPBM, it cannot have both

So, where do we go from here? Perpaduan Ummah is no longer the priority. The priority is political hegemony. You are either with me or you are against me, says Umno. You cannot declare you remain neutral and that you are not taking sides in the Umno-PPBM conflict.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Marrying four wives or more than one wife comes quite naturally to PAS people. This is merely following the Prophet’s example, say the PAS people. Even PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang has two wives and this does not attract any discussion, let alone raised eyebrows.

In the interest of Muslim unity or Perpaduan Ummah, PAS decided to end their 70-year-old animosity with Umno by entering into a marriage with what was once their mortal enemy. There was a time when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad murdered PAS people in Memali, Kedah, and PAS retaliated by labelling Umno people as kafir or infidels in Terengganu.

I have personally seen fathers chase sons out of the house and “tak mengaku anak” because the father was Umno and the son PAS. Husbands and wives divorced because the wife voted PAS and the husband voted Umno, which happened in my own kampong in Kuala Ibai, Terengganu.

Yes, families have broken up, couples have divorced, mosques have had separate prayers in “dua imam” episodes, congregation or jumaah have walked out when an Umno imam took the microphone instead of the usual PAS imam, PAS people refused to attend weddings and funerals of Umno people and vice versa — and so much more drama over two generations in the Malay heartland.

But that is all now water under the bridge. In December 2013, Anwar Ibrahim made the first move to form a unity government with PAS and Umno — in what then would have been called Perpaduan Ummah and now called Muafakat Nasional.

The first Perpaduan Ummah between Umno, PAS and PKR was mooted by Anwar Ibrahim in December 2013 — but it failed because Hadi would not support it

It was Anwar Ibrahim who mooted the idea of this unity government or Perpaduan Ummah — with the involvement of those PAS leaders who are now in Parti Amanah or PAN plus Saifuddin Abdullah of Umno and Saifuddin Nasution of PKR.

But that first attempt in 2013 failed mainly because Anwar was behind the idea and Hadi Awang did not trust Anwar one bit. Hadi knew Anwar’s real motive was to take over as prime minister or PM7. Anwar was not really motivated by Perpaduan Ummah but by the post of prime minister.

It was not until two years later (when the 1MDB issue exploded) that the Perpaduan Ummah idea resurfaced, but this time with the involvement of only Umno and PAS. PKR and the PAS breakaway party, Amanah, would remain with DAP in what was Pakatan Harapan.

The plan was, Umno and PAS would form a coalition, now called Muafakat Nasional, to face the general election or GE14 (which was held in May 2018). It was going to be a marriage made in heaven but then Umno left PAS standing at the altar. There was PAS all dressed up in its wedding gown and the marriage partner nowhere to be seen.

To remain with Umno, Hadi has to turn his back on Muhyiddin

That most unwise move is, of course, now all water under the bridge and Umno paid for it dearly by getting wiped at the ballot box. PAS still won Terengganu and Kelantan, though, which was what really mattered to the party. Winning the federal government would have been a wonderful bonus, but not really a matter to die for, as far as PAS was concerned.

Finally, after suffering humiliating defeat at the hands of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his friends in Pakatan Harapan, Umno saw that it needed some form of Malay coalition or Perpaduan Ummah.

Umno may be a bigger party than PAS by far (in terms of number of parliament and state seats OUTSIDE Terengganu and Kelantan). But an Umno-PAS coalition would be a case of 1+1=3 and not 1+1=2.

Just five months after that, the Pakatan Harapan government fell and Parti Pribumi Bersatu or PPBM, that was now divorced from Pakatan Harapan, was seeking a new marriage partner. So, PAS decided to take PPBM as its second marriage partner.

But Umno was not too happy with that. Merely five months after marrying Umno, PAS goes and marries PPBM.

PAS has to choose between Umno and PPBM, it cannot remain married to both

That was nine months ago. And now Umno wants PAS to choose. Does PAS want to remain with Umno, whom it married 15 months ago, or remain with PPBM, whom it married nine months ago? PAS cannot remain married to BOTH Umno and PPBM.

So, where do we go from here? Perpaduan Ummah is no longer the priority. The priority is political hegemony. You are either with me or you are against me, says Umno. You cannot declare you remain neutral and that you are not taking sides in the Umno-PPBM conflict.

Sigh…I think I will just crawl into bed and take some paracetamol — and hope it is not Covid-19 that is making my head feel heavy — while they decide whether the Umno-PAS-PPBM orgy is still on or whether the next general election is going to be a free-for-all and may the best man win.