With Barisan Nasional and the DAP-dominated PKR pitted against each other in the 14th General Election, questions have cropped up on how Pas, which is going solo this time, will fare.

There are divergent views on how the Islamic party, which has governed Kelantan since 1990 and had once ruled Kedah and Terengganu, will perform.

“Pas is playing a new ballgame in this GE,” said Yang Razali Kassim, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

“They are acting as a Third Force, as Gagasan Sejahtera, neither with Pakatan, nor with Umno, on paper. This new strategy can cut both ways,” he said.

“It can raise Pas’ bargaining power in the event of an inconclusive outcome. But it can also marginalise Pas. The third force strategy actually means Pas is largely going back to its roots as a northeastern peninsula, rural party.”

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