Uphill task for Amanah to win rural support

KUALA LUMPUR: The new Parti Amanah Negara faces an uphill task fighting PAS head-on in the Malay heartland states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, political analysts said.

But it has better chances in the urban west coast constituencies where voter populations are more mixed.

“Its clientele is still very much urban, Malay and the dissatisfied middle-class,” said political scientist Dr Chandra Muzaffar.

“Unless it expands its membership outwards to the Malay villagers, it will remain very much an urban affair,” he said.

The urban Malay middle-class, which joined PAS in the 1990s when the party was more progressive and inclusive, became disenchanted after it veered away from its “PAS for All” ideal.

In the PAS election in June this year, the entire slate of progressives who had contested were wiped out by the conservative ulama.

Led by Mohamad Sabu, 61, who was an incumbent deputy president who lost, they left PAS and formed Amanah which was launched on Wednesday in Shah Alam with great fanfare.

About 3,000 members were present along with top leaders from the DAP, PKR, PSM and Islamic NGOs. The party’s logo is an arrow head set on an orange background.

Mohamad told reporters that they hope to get 100,000 members by year-end.

“There are a lot of new, uncommitted Malaysians whom we can recruit as members,” he said, adding that all races can join the new party and enjoy similar privileges.

The only difference, he said, is that the president must be a Malay Muslim. While the DAP wants to replace PAS with Amanah, PKR wants all parties, including PAS and Amanah, in a new opposition coalition.

How PAS and Amanah work together when they face each other in urban constituencies is yet to be seen.

Besides, PKR deputy president and Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali needs the support of 14 PAS state assemblymen to stay in power.

(One assemblyman Sari Sungib has joined Amanah).

This is a thorny issue and potentially disruptive, said political analyst Dr Sivamurugan Pandyan.

“They have a lot of divisive issues going forward, and keeping Selangor is one of it,” he said.