Pas is going all out to unite the Malays

Hadi and the other Pas leaders have apparently signed Dr Mahathir's Malay proclamation last night.

This was obviously part of preparations to unite the Malays for the coming state elections.

Dr Mahathir's influence may no longer be the same among the Malays but the significance of Pas supporting his initiative for a united Malays should not be dismissed.

Looks like the handsome old man, despite his advanced age, will be campaigning for Perikatan over the next few months.

He may to a certain extent sway some undecided Malays to vote for that coalition.

Well, Pas is now not shying away from having even its long-time foe Dr Mahathir on its side.

The outcome of the state elections may not change anything in Putrajaya but Perikatan's possible successes may put a lot of pressure on the Anwar's administration.

This is particularly so if the Malays overwhelmingly vote for Perikatan.

Penang, which has slightly more Chinese and Indian voters compared to Malays would probably be the only safe state for Pakatan.

Based on the outcome of GE15, an overwhelming victory for Perikatan could happen in the Malay-dominated states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.

What would be more worrying for Anwar and his allies would be the outcome of the polls in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Being currently just an arm-chair observer, I can't tell whether the so-called green wave has gain or lose momentum over the past half a year since GE15, but I can sense that the situation is still worrying for Pakatan.

Anwar would be relying heavily on Umno to stem the tide but the once dominant Malay-based party is currently at its weakest point following the devastating losses in GE15 and subsequent internal purges.

Many Malays now regard Umno as being just a junior partner in the Pakatan-led government and this may lead them to shift their support for the Pas-driven Perikatan. 

The Anwar's administration will definitely be in danger if Negeri Sembilan and even more importantly Selangor fall to Perikatan because of the possible Malay tsunami, 

Pakatan will be reduced to only DAP-dominated Penang. while Umno-led BN, which now controls Perak, Pahang, Melaka and Johor may reconsider its position for fear of losing those holdings.

Sarawak and Sabah will as usual follow which ever side that could offer them the best deal.

On the positive note though, Anwar and his allies could take comfort on the fact that Perikatan has not been very vocal on Malay and Islamic issues since GE15 as compared to how Umno and Pas were relentless in exploiting them after GE14.

This was probably due to Pakatan's success in preventing Perikatan from exploiting such issues.

DAP in particular had done well in shutting up its extremist elements, who were very vocal after GE14.

Fo instance, the BJP/LTTE wannabes within its ranks have been relatively quiet, which is a good thing.

Alhamdulillah. No more beating up a fireman to death this time.

I think they also fear that Pas and its allies will ride on the majority Malay votes to take over the whole thing and once in power go after them.

Hopefully those extremists will continue to shut up after the state elections.