00:00Imagine an afternoon tea session, but one that may have carried far greater political meaning.
00:06According to FMT Malay Newsdesk editor Amin Ishak's latest behind-the-bylines piece,
00:12that was the scene in Marang, Terengganu.
00:15On February 13th, just hours after Hamza Zainuddin was sacked from Brasadu,
00:20he sat down for afternoon tea with Abdul Hadi Awang.
00:24Two months later, Muhyiddin Yassin also visited Hadi at the same place.
00:28At first, it looked like a show of unity, a sign that the PAS-Brasadu alliance in PN was still
00:34intact.
00:35But now, Amin writes, the tone has changed.
00:38When Hadi announced last Friday that PAS would reassess its cooperation with Brasadu
00:43and issued a stern warning that patience has its limits, it was a clear signal.
00:48A signal to Brasadu that PAS is no longer fully comfortable with the situation.
00:53Amin says the issue is Brasadu's alleged move to block several new parties from joining PN.
00:59Several parties have applied to become components,
01:02namely Burjasa, Rukir's Mahathir's Pujuang, Ibrahim Ali's Putra,
01:06and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party, or IMAN.
01:10And behind all this, one name clearly stands out.
01:15Hamza Zainuddin.
01:16Why is Hamza important?
01:19Because he brings political networks, administrative experience,
01:23grassroots connections, and his own faction within Brasadu.
01:26In other words, if Hamza moves, he does not move alone.
01:30Although Hadi did not mention Hamza by name, many understood the signal.
01:36PAS appears to want PN's door opened, but Brasadu seems to be trying to keep it closed.
01:41The problem now is that PAS is the dominant party in PN.
01:45It has more seats, stronger machinery, and greater influence.
01:49Amin says that in Malay politics, numbers and machinery matter more than nostalgia or big names.
01:56And PAS knows this.
01:58So when PAS starts speaking up, it is not merely giving an opinion.
02:02It is issuing a public warning as PN's strongest party.
02:06For Brasadu, this is the tough spot.
02:09Taking tough action on Hamza meant losing a leader and supporter who had become the pulse of the party.
02:15But going too soft on Hamza would make Muhyiddin look like he was submitting to a new political rival from
02:21within his own home.
02:23At the same time, Muhyiddin also has a plan B through another coalition, Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat, or IPR.
02:30But without PAS, IPR may have many parties, but it will lack PAS's highly organized machinery.
02:38Many different logos do not guarantee votes, especially if voters still see PAS as the backbone of the opposition bloc.
02:45And if the PAS-Brasadu relationship does actually come to an end,
02:49Hamza's afternoon tea with Hadi in Marang may have been the beginning of a new political alignment in the opposition.
02:55Read the full article by FMT Malay Newsdesk editor Amin Ishak as Hadi makes room for Hamza should Brasadu stay
03:03or leave PN, only on FMT.
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