PETALING JAYA: Political analysts say the appointment of PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman is unlikely to shift the coalition’s direction, with real power continuing to reside with the party’s ulama leadership.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali and Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Samsuri will face significant constraints, even though his professional credentials as an engineer give him a less polarising image beyond PAS’s conservative Malay-Muslim base.
They explained that PAS’s religious leadership continues to wield decisive influence over the party’s state leaders and policy direction.
Azmi said that Samsuri’s decisions are guided by the ulama, including PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, his deputy Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, and the syura council.
“They (the ulama) basically control all the menteri besars from the SG4 (states governed by PAS), so there’s no difference whether Samsuri is (Terengganu) menteri besar or chairman of PN.
“The shots will be called by the ulama, no doubt about that,” he told FMT.
Mazlan, agreed, saying PAS’s professionals would, at best, serve a complementary role.
“Despite his professional status, Samsuri’s position will not be better than that of the ulama in PAS, whose theme is ‘ulama leadership’. The real decision-makers in PAS are the ulama,” he said.
On Feb 22, Samsuri officially replaced former prime minister and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin as PN chairman.
Muhyiddin, who resigned at the turn of the year, will serve as PN deputy chairman, while Hadi will step away from the PN Supreme Council but remain on the presidential council.
Unlike many of Malaysia’s combative political heavyweights, Samsuri is known to be soft-spoken and measured.
His professional background and administrative track record, underscored by a clean sweep for PAS in Terengganu at the 2023 state elections, have bolstered his reputation as a capable technocrat rather than a firebrand ideologue.
Mazlan also said that Samsuri’s position would remain subordinate, struggling to exercise autonomy amid dominant figures in both PAS and PN.
“I think Samsuri does not have full freedom to make decisions when faced with figures such as Hadi, Muhyiddin, Sanusi Nor, Takiyuddin Hassan, the Mursyidul Am and others.
“He needs to consider the views of his seniors before making final decisions,” he said.
