WHAT’S BEHIND PAS ‘ SUPPORT FOR NAJIB?
First, PAS ‘ support for Najib could be seen as another military move to cut the unity state. The opposition had a great opportunity to learn from the different viewpoints within UMNO, as well as among UMNO and other unity government people.
By raising the issue regularly, to the point of making a parliamentary motion, PAS could cause further internal disagreements in the government. There is a distinction between effectively using this issue to divide your rivals and really showing up at a unity rally in droves in support of Najib, though. The latter is a possibly difficult move that most events, including PAS ‘ coalition partner Bersatu, have deliberately avoided.
The potential benefits of making such a shift has undoubtedly outweigh the costs. The reward for going all-in may be significant enough for PAS to do. It must be so important for PAS to hazard risking its political views on corruption, its alliance with Bersatu, and even the belief that it has backed down in its past hostility with UMNO.
The main explanation is possible that PAS saw this as a chance to meet the government.
As the largest bloc in parliament, PAS, which has 43 seats, still has potential to join the government ( rumors of PAS possibly joining have been around for a while ), and the party is unlikely to miss an opportunity to do so.
If the imperial memorandum controversy is properly destructive to the authorities and a change is proposed in favor of UMNO and Najib’s faction, PAS, as the main supporter, would undoubtedly take the place of DAP.
For restructuring would also aid PAS in resolving a second scuffle that it has with Bersatu, where domestic disagreements usually seem to be on the verge of severance. The departure of PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as the coalition manager next month is a telling indication of the latest rift.