Is a new PAS emerging?
Summary
Last week, on April 29, soon after the evening call to prayer, a freak storm blew where the 63rd PAS muktamar, or party congress, was being held in Alor Setar, Kedah. The storm, an unprecedented event during a muktamar, however, did not derail the PAS congress, nor distract it from its main agenda: to chart a new course through the much bigger tempest in Malaysian politics, marked by the splintering of parties, making the opposition scene more crowded. Thirdly, this complete break, if ultimately endorsed by PAS Majlis Syura Ulama (Council of Ulama), would launch PAS on its own trajectory while possibly sinking any lingering chance of dethroning the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) led by Prime Minister Najib Razaks United Malays National Organisation (Umno). PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK All signs seemed to point to a "new" PAS emerging, with the Islamist party striking out on its own to lead a "third bloc" and playing the role of a kingmaker - two key phrases frequently heard during the week of the congress. PAS seems conflicted on whether it should cut off ties with the opposition alliance completely, or forge a united front with the ruling Umno based on the grand idea of Malay-Muslim unity.
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