Having spent tens, if not hundreds, of millions on the Perikatan Nasional (PN) branding, the most valuable asset to the opposition is the PN logo. The “PN Best”, which was part of the coalition campaign of clean government and Malay-Muslim unity in the November 2022 General Election, saw PN bagged a whopping 73 parliamentary seats, of which 20 were snatched from Barisan Nasional (BN).
Back then, the PN coalition’s key component parties were Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). Bersatu president Muhyiddn Yassin and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang were best friends – till they realized that they didn’t have the number to form a government in the 222-seat Parliament. Backstabbing, betrayal, and bad blood soon plagued PN.
Four years later and with the 16th General Election on the horizon, panic hit PN when the Registrar of Societies (RoS) officially cancelled Perikatan Nasional’s registration on October 20, 2026. A last minute effort on October 22 enabled the opposition coalition to secure a “temporary” legal reprieve from deregistration, clearing an immediate hurdle just nine days before nomination day for Melaka’s state election.
The two best friends four years ago have now become bitter enemies. Both political parties have condemned, bad-mouthed, ridiculed, and mocked each other. So much for Malay-Muslim unity. Without power and access to national coffers, former backdoor Prime Minister Muhyiddin is a pariah to Hadi. Through a series of scheming and strategic moves, PAS took over the helm of the PN coalition.
The severe infighting between PAS and Bersatu has triggered not only a major leadership crisis and legal battle within the opposition coalition, but also opened up an opportunity for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to hammer the final nail in the coffin of PN. The deregistration crisis started due to a complaint by Bersatu that it was excluded from a Supreme Council meeting on July 16 in breach of Clause 7.1 of the coalition’s constitution.
Even though the Malaysian High Court has allowed the coalition to resume political activities while it pursues a judicial review, the court’s victory would do little to resolve internal rift within PN. While the Home Minister and RoS have filed an appeal against the stay, internal tensions persist as Bersatu questions the legality of emergency council meetings called amid the dispute.
From the beginning, the alliance between Bersatu and PAS was more about a marriage of convenience for personal gain rather than a genuine Malay-Muslim unity. It was for projects, perks, positions, and pensions. The moment Muhyiddin lost power and failed to form a government, the so-called Malay-Muslim unity disintegrated and they began fighting for candies like kids.
PAS now sees Bersatu as a parasite rather than a Malay hero, who has been depending on the Islamist party’s strong grassroots network and machinery to win elections. Bersatu, on the other hand, saw PAS as a convenient tool to ride on due to PN’s branding to attract Malay nationalist voters. As a founder of Perikatan Nasional, Muhyiddin and his supporters perceived Bersatu as the supreme party.
When Hadi made his move which eventually forced Muhyiddin to resign as chairman of PN on January 1, 2026, it was not merely a slap in the face of the Bersatu president, but also a declaration of war. Worse, Hadi has shown a preference for Bersatu Deputy President Hamzah Zainudin over Bersatu President Muhyiddin Yassin, leading to friction within not only Bersatu but also Perikatan Nasional.
True, the fallout between Hamzah and Muhyiddin was primarily due to tensions escalated over who would lead Bersatu, followed with accusations of political betrayal. As a direct result of this internal warfare, the Bersatu Disciplinary Board officially sacked Hamzah in February 2026. However, Hadi’s “divide and rule” tactical move by unilaterally naming Hamzah as Opposition Leader was a painful betrayal to Muhyiddin.
Mr Muhyiddin’s retaliation was simple – “If I can’t have it, nobody can”. Bersatu’s complaint to the RoS, alleging that it had been excluded from a PN supreme council meeting in July, describing it as a breach of the coalition’s constitution by rival grouping PAS, was clearly a scorched-earth strategy – destroys everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war.
He knew that the bloc could face de-registration because no matter how PN responded, it would not be able to provide a satisfactory response to the RoS. Even if it’s true that Anwar administration deliberately took advantage of the situation, PAS can’t blame the government because it was PAS’s mistake to exclude Bersatu from PN supreme council meeting.
Even before the latest RoS cancellation of PN’s registration, Bersatu-PAS tensions had become increasingly visible since last December, when eight Perlis assemblymen, five of whom were from Bersatu, withdrew support for the state’s PAS chief minister in a move widely seen as orchestrated by figures aligned with Bersatu president Muhyiddin – deepening mistrust between both parties.
Besides, as PAS develops closer ties with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), both Anwar-led Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance and Bersatu are facing a common enemy – PAS. In Melaka, Barisan Nasional (BN), which is led by UMNO, and PAS have already agreed on a seat-sharing arrangement to contest the state election – 21 seats for BN and the remaining 7 for PAS and its allies.
Make no mistake – both Bersatu and PAS need the PN logo. In August’s Negeri Sembilan election, Bersatu announced its candidates separately and contested under its own symbol, including against PN candidates in eight constituencies. But Bersatu failed to win any of the 24 seats it contested independently, while PN – under PAS control – won seven.
Obviously, Bersatu has nothing to lose if PN is de-registered since it is “prohibited” from using it by PAS. The simple fact that Hadi Awang fiercely condemned the cancellation of PN registration by the Registrar of Societies proves that the Islamist party needs the PN brand more than anyone can imagine, despite some boasting that PAS has no issue contesting under its own logo.
If indeed PAS extremists were cocksure that the PAS’ green moon logo is more powerful, then it should contest in Melaka using it instead of whining, crying and bitching about PN de-registration. Hadi and his lieutenants knew that without PN logo, PAS would be left with its hardcore Malay extremists support – isolating Malay nationalist voters to choose between UMNO and Bersatu.
Additionally, losing the PN logo could also weaken the opposition’s appeal beyond its traditional support base, particularly among non-Malay voters. Even though ethnic Chinese and Indian voters dislike and distrust PAS, the PN logo nevertheless projects an image that is less extreme and more moderate compared to the PAS logo itself.
More importantly, PAS needs the PN logo to boost the chances of its smaller allies such as Wawasan, Gerakan, and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) to mount a coordinated challenge against Barisan Nasional (BN) during seat negotiation in the next general election. On its own, PAS logo only sells in Kelantan and Terengganu. It was PN – not PAS – that managed to capture Kedah and Perlis.
It’s not rocket science that PAS wanted to become the dominant force like UMNO, the backbone of the country’s ruling government for over 60 years until it lost power for the first time in the May 2018 General Election. In fact, the Malaysian Islamic Party has openly stated its ambition to claim the Prime Minister’s post and lead the federal government in the upcoming 16th General Election.
PAS currently holds 43 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, making it the largest single party in Parliament. Even if it could flip all the seats won by Bersatu and recapture all the 73 parliamentary seats won under Perikatan Nasional banner in 2022, it still cannot form a simple-majority government. That’s why Hadi has to suck up to UMNO – even ready to play second fiddle and bow to “Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi.”
No single political party in Malaysia can form a federal or state government on its own due to the country’s multi-ethnic composition. But there’s one biggest problem – Sabah and Sarawak. With a total of 56 parliamentary seats – accounting for about 25.3% of the 222 total seats in the Parliament – PAS cannot claim the Premiership without support from the Borneo states.
While both Borneo states often align with whichever coalition rules Putrajaya to secure development funds, Sabahans and Sarawakians largely reject PAS Islamist party and its conservative religious politics because of their distinct multicultural, multi-religious, and secular-leaning social fabric. There is no room for extremist politics in Borneo.
That explains why Hadi creates his own puppet – Hamzah and his Wawasan – as front end to hoodwink the Chinese, Indians, Sabah and Sarawak. That also explains why PAS, by hook or by crook, must contest national elections under the Perikatan Nasional banner. And this is also why not only Bersatu and Anwar-led Pakatan Harapan, but also Zahid-led Barisan Nasional, wanted to destroy PN.
PAS, not to mention Wawasan, would be severely weakened without PN as its umbrella, which in turn would benefit the Malay nationalist party UMNO. The Islamist party’s gain is UMNO’s loss as both fish for the same Malay votes in the same pond. Therefore, it’s hard to see how PN under PAS leadership would be able to challenge the PN’s de-registration.
Other Articles That May Interest You …
- Bersatu’s Destruction – Karma Continues Haunting Muhyiddin & Azmin
- Malay Unity My Foot – PAS Dumps Bersatu In Preparation For UMNO
- The Hidden Story – Why PAS & Bersatu Backstab, Betray Each Other
- Snake Oil Salesman Hadi Busted – Deputy Police Chief Reveals Malay-Muslims Root Of Corruption
- Millions Of Malays Scammed Again – Hadi Won’t Let Muslim Refugees Work, PAS Can’t Live Without Benz & iPhone
- Told You So!! – Hadi Shows Middle-Finger To Sultan Terengganu’s Decree, Inspires ISIS Terrorists To Take Over Malaysia
- PAS’ Armies Of Swords & Spears – Don’t Underestimate Hadi’s “Iranian Revolution” To Seize Power
- You Need UMNO Or Chinese – Muhyiddin & Hadi Desperate To Snatch Power Before Sultan Johor Becomes The Next King
- Traitor Muhyiddin Backstabbed & Betrayed – Hadi Has Begun The Drama To Abandon PN In Favour Of BN
- The Price For Sleeping With The Devil – Treated Like A Beggar, Hadi Now Accuses UMNO Of Being Ungrateful & Immoral
- How UMNO Plays PAS – Trapped & Ego Bruised Hadi Awang Ditched UMNO In Order To Save Face
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October 28th, 2026 by financetwitter
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