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PAS walked away from the Johor state election without a single seat.
Its president says that was the point.
Speaking at a PAS Negeri Sembilan dinner on Sunday (12 July), Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang described the party’s role in the Johor polls as a deliberate sacrifice — directing its members to back Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates, including those from MCA, in constituencies where PAS did not contest.
PAS was willing to make sacrifices by mobilising members to support BN candidates in areas it did not contest, he said.
Alhamdulillah, Johor is safe.
He likened the move to a candle burning itself to give light to others.
But the concession came with a warning.
Gratitude, With a Warning Attached
UMNO should not think it will be strong forever, Abdul Hadi said, noting that in past elections, there were constituencies where UMNO lost to Malay candidates fielded by DAP.
The Marang MP also acknowledged the structural reality plainly: PAS cannot take Johor because UMNO has already won Johor.
He reiterated that PAS entered the Johor election not to lead the state, but to prevent a Pakatan Harapan (PH) victory — and said too many Malay parties contesting the same seats would only split the Malay vote.
BN and UMNO leadership, for their part, have strongly maintained that no such cooperation exists.
On DAP, Abdul Hadi was equally direct — and more pointed.
He accused the party of interfering in Islamic affairs during the Pakatan Rakyat era, citing opposition to alcohol and gambling bans in Kelantan and Terengganu, and alleged that DAP had overstepped by touching on Islam, the Malay Rulers, and the constitution when it gained influence in the federal government.
The Numbers in Negeri Sembilan
In 2019, UMNO and PAS signed a formal unity pact called Muafakat Nasional, but it fell apart before the 2022 general election when PAS sided with Perikatan Nasional instead.
That reunion, which Abdul Hadi had previously described as Muafakat Nasional 2.0, is now being tested in Negeri Sembilan, where the state assembly has 36 seats — BN currently holds 14, and PAS holds three: Paroi, Serting, and Bagan Pinang.
The remaining 17 seats are held by Pakatan Harapan — and Abdul Hadi has described them as the centre of the negotiations.
Under an agreement in principle described by Abdul Hadi, BN will defend its existing 14 seats uncontested by PAS — and should the coalition win, PAS has said it has no objection to UMNO taking the Menteri Besar post.
PAS, in turn, will defend its three seats — and is expected to contest more than 10 seats in total, with the bulk drawn from the 17 PH-held constituencies up for grabs.
Notably, PAS has not ruled out fielding candidates in seats traditionally won by DAP, particularly in mixed constituencies where Malay voters make up around 40 per cent of the electorate.
The strategy mirrors what PAS deployed in Johor — using Malay voter consolidation to chip away at PH’s multiracial base, even if the seats go to BN rather than PAS itself.
READ MORE: BERSAMA Loses Every Deposit In Johor — Rafizi Calls It A Learning Curve
READ MORE: [Watch] Shorts Too Short: Mother And Daughter Nearly Blocked From Voting In Johor
READ MORE: High Turnout, Wrong Address: Johor’s Complicated Election Day
READ MORE: Former DAP Analyst Sees BN Sweeping Johor, He Also Sees What Comes Next
The Negeri Sembilan state election is set for 1 August. Nomination day is 18 July, with campaigning running until 31 July. Early voting takes place on 28 July.
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