Party must build own strength, not rely on others

A senior official from Malaysia's PAS party has asserted that political entities must cultivate their own internal strength and support bases, rather than depending on external factors or the perceived weaknesses of rivals. Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the Deputy President of PAS, stated that any notion of sabotage within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition is unfounded, as the party had clearly instructed its machinery to fully support PN candidates in the 33 seats they contested.

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Pas will study the reasons for failure to defend the State Legislative Assembly seats that were won before and the shift in youth support in the Johor PRN.

He clarified that support for Barisan Nasional (BN) was only extended in areas where PN did not field its own candidates. Tuan Ibrahim questioned whether the significant losses faced by Pakatan Harapan in Johor also constituted sabotage among their own ranks, stressing the importance of analyzing internal shortcomings before assigning blame externally. PAS intends to thoroughly examine the causes behind their failure to retain previously won State Legislative Assembly seats and understand the shift in youth support during the Johor state election.

Reports had suggested that PAS was a factor in PN's defeat in Johor, with allegations of sabotage, including some component parties failing to fully support Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) candidates. Internal sources within Bersatu reportedly claimed that statements from some PAS leaders expressing reluctance to assist Bersatu candidates and urging voters to support other parties in specific constituencies had damaged PN's chances of victory.

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There are factors beyond our control and internal factors of PN that caused PN to fail in Johor.

Tuan Ibrahim acknowledged that internal factors, alongside several uncontrollable external elements, influenced the coalition's performance in Johor. However, he expressed confidence that public support for PAS and PN would rebound in the upcoming elections in Negeri Sembilan and other state elections. He emphasized the party's commitment to addressing weaknesses and strengthening its machinery, believing that voter support would improve in future electoral contests.

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What is important now is that we correct our weaknesses and strengthen our machinery. We are confident that voter support for Pas and PN will improve in the next election.