‘Can’t run away’: Malaysia opposition bloc PN must engage non-Malays, says new chairman

JOHOR BAHRU: Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, the newly appointed chairman of Malaysia’s opposition coalition, has pledged for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) to engage ethnic minority communities outside of its Malay-Muslim voter base as it charts a path to play a key role in the country’s future. 

Ahmad Samsuri was making his first public remarks as PN chairman while speaking as a guest on the local podcast Lebih Masa hosted by former Minister of National Resources and Environmental Sustainability Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and social media influencer Nani Roslan. 

The podcast was recorded on Monday (Feb 23) - a day after PN announced Ahmad Samsuri’s appointment - and released on Wednesday. 

During the podcast, Ahmad Samsuri stressed Malaysia has reached a phase where the government in power cannot be led by one character or one central figure, but rather must be shared across a leadership team. 

When pressed if he would be the next prime minister of Malaysia, he said he harboured no such dreams. This is in spite of the fact that as chairman of PN, he is likely to be the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate ahead of polls that must be held by February 2028.

“All leaders have different strengths and attributes. And if called upon to form the next government, we have to do our best,” he said.  

Asked to expound on his plans for PN and its main component party Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), Ahmad Samsuri said: “We need to come out in the open. If you want to be a real champion, you have to come out in the open, whether at the state, federal or international level - it’s time for us to … face reality.” 

“We have a strategy to engage the different demographics at such a complex time for the country. We can’t run away from it, this is the structure of Malaysia,” added the PAS vice-president. 

He also pointed out that it was the right moment for PAS to play a leading role in the PN coalition and in forming the next government. 

“The number of seats PAS has (in parliament) has surpassed even the DAP (Democratic Action Party). DAP has maintained but this is the first time in Malaysia’s history where PAS is (evolving) and it is the party with the largest number of seats,” said Ahmad Samsuri, who is also known as Dr Sam. 

“It’s time for us to play a more prominent role in the formation of the country’s future,” he added. 

DAP, which is part of the unity government coalition under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has 40 seats in the legislative assembly while PAS has 43 seats.

PN’s main components are PAS and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), while minority-centric parties Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) are considered minor players.

Analysts earlier told CNA that Ahmad Samsuri’s appointment signals a strategic recalibration by PAS to project a more technocratic and less polarising image beyond its conservative Malay-Muslim base. 

The 55-year-old Terengganu chief minister, who is a former aerospace engineering lecturer, is seen by political scientists as a technocratic figure acceptable to various demographics. 

During the Lebih Masa podcast episode, Ahmad Samsuri pointed out how the party has even made inroads in Sabah, where traditionally support for the Islamist party has been non-existent. 

During the Sabah elections late last year, a PAS candidate won a single seat in the Karambunai constituency - PAS’ first-ever victory in Borneo. 

ETHNIC MINORITIES HAVE EXTREME VIEWS OF PAS: ANALYST 

Analysts told CNA that Ahmad Samsuri’s latest remarks are a clear indication that PN and PAS are focused on increasing their vote share among the ethnic minorities, but they maintained he faces an uphill task due to a perception that PAS is extreme in its conservative beliefs. 

They added that this perception has existed because of the party's policies and comments from its leaders on gender roles, LGBTQ+ issues, alcohol and gambling, as well as its longstanding push for hudud, or Islamic criminal law.   

Azmi Hassan, senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, told CNA: “It’s a chance for Dr Sam to prove that he is his own man, and he is not controlled by the clergy group (which leads PAS), and this can be done by focusing on strategies to get that non-Malay vote. 

“But voters in Sabah and Sarawak, and other ethnic minorities, view PAS as having extreme values that they do not identify with.”

Political analyst James Chin echoed similar sentiments, outlining how non-Muslims are likely to reject PAS and PN irrespective of Ahmad Samsuri’s outreach strategies because of the Islamist party's commitment for Malaysia to be a “conservative Islamic state”. 

“This is holding the non-Malays back from switching over (their) support. They already feel like second-class citizens under the current government, they will be fourth-class citizens under PAS,” he added, explaining that ultimately Ahmad Samsuri is answerable to the clergy leaders of PAS.

Leadership of PAS has long been under its ulama (clergy) faction, with religious leaders holding key positions, though in more recent years, a "professional" faction has emerged featuring the likes of Ahmad Samsuri and Kedah Chief Minister Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.

Ahmad Samsuri’s elevation as PN chair comes amid deep fissures within Bersatu, PAS’ key coalition partner which was rocked by a dramatic rupture between Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and his former deputy Hamzah Zainudin.

Embroiled in a leadership tussle with Muhyiddin, Hamzah was sacked by the party earlier this month.

He however remained as the leader of the opposition for now, PN deputy secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan told reporters on Thursday, citing time constraints with the current parliament sitting drawing to a close.