No PN, No Problem For PAS As Party Banks On Strong Brand Recognition

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

---

The deregistration of Perikatan Nasional (PN) is unlikely to significantly affect PAS’ electoral support, as the Islamist party has a strong enough brand to remain recognisable to voters even without the coalition’s logo, analysts say.

International Islamic University Malaysia political analyst and ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute fellow Associate Professor Dr Syaza Shukri said the immediate impact of PN’s deregistration would likely be more apparent in terms of visibility and voter familiarity rather than a significant shift in electoral support.

She said PAS supporters would continue voting for the party regardless of whether PN remained a registered coalition, while component parties could potentially benefit from using PAS’ logo in the upcoming elections.

“Voters might wonder where PN is on the ballot paper. But I think that is a minor problem because, as we know, PN is built on PAS’ strength. PAS supporters will continue voting for PAS,” she told TRP when asked to comment on the issue.

Syaza said the arrangement could also benefit other component parties, such as Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan), if they chose to contest under PAS’ logo.

She added that Bersatu could emerge as the biggest loser now that PN is deregistered, given that some voters were still unfamiliar with the party’s logo.

Syaza said PN’s component parties could adopt a common logo, similar to how Pakatan Harapan (PH) used PKR’s logo in the 2018 general election, to maintain a sense of political cooperation despite the absence of a formally registered coalition.

“Just choose one logo, because the most important thing is to convey the message to voters that they are working together politically, even without a registered coalition,” she said.

READ MORE: ‘You Did It To Yourself’, Azmin Tells PN After RoS Deregistration

Meanwhile, Pacific Research Centre of Malaysia principal adviser Dr Oh Ei Sun said PN’s deregistration could formalise a political realignment that had already been taking shape, particularly in the relationship between PAS and Bersatu.

He said the two parties had increasingly moved away from one another over the past year, with PAS appearing to strengthen to favour other parties.

“Ironically, the deregistration of PN may actually be convenient for PAS as it is free to form its own bloc now,” he said.

Oh said other PN component parties would also be free to decide whether to align themselves with PAS or go with Bersatu, adding that he suspected most would choose the former.

“Obviously, PAS in combination with Wawasan is very strong. Perhaps Melaka will be the first testing ground for this arrangement,” he said.

He added that political parties in power had historically sought to maximise their incumbency advantage, citing Barisan Nasional (BN) and what he described as similar arguments being made about PH.

“BN did that and some would argue that PH is doing the same thing,” he said.

The Registrar of Societies (RoS) yesterday announced the deregistration of PN.

READ MORE: PN Questions RoS U-Turn After Saying It Had ‘No Power To Intervene’

---

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, X, Instagram, or Threads.

No PN, No Problem For PAS As Party Banks On Strong Brand Recognition
Entertainment Flash Report