Revving it up: Can Malaysia’s PAS bid to appear cool result in ‘green wave’ repeat?

ALOR SETAR – Mr Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden revved his motorcycle with glee, laughing as others around cheered him on. Two other riders followed suit on their Yamaha RX-Z, a popular model first produced in 1985 and which has become a symbol of pride for rebellious Malay youth across Peninsular Malaysia.

The conference hall was filled with the smell of petrol and exhaust smoke from the rumbling motorbikes, as pillion riders waved party flags at the hundreds of attendees.

This was not a gathering of a motorcycle club, but a scene from the opening of the annual congress of the youth wing of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), Malaysia’s Islamist opposition party, on Sept 12. The motorbike riders in white were top brass from the youth wing, while the green-shirted pillion riders were from the PAS-affiliated Alternative Riding Club, formed in 2007 by the wing, with a Facebook following of more than 22,000.

In his opening speech, youth wing (Pemuda) chief Afnan, 44, exhorted members to reach out to young people – working-class youth not entirely indoctrinated by partisan ideals yet – who would “rev their RX-Z” much like he had done earlier.

In 2022, that sizeable voter base formed much of the anti-establishment vote that nearly took PAS and its Perikatan Nasional coalition to power, in

the so-called “green wave”

that PAS Youth now aims to replicate, as the Anwar administration grapples with rising living costs and a slow pace of reforms.

But observers question whether this approach can succeed without any concrete policies to alleviate young voters’ concerns.

In his speech, Mr Afnan said Malaysia’s youth “live under pressure”, earning unstable salaries from gigs despite having university degrees, as an artificial intelligence-generated video showing a Malay man crying over his instant noodle meal for failing to find a job played on the congress hall’s front screen. Mr Afnan believes PAS can be more effective by being a “party of solutions” rather than merely championing Islamic issues.

“They will form up a big wave that will either carry us to the peak or throw us to the bottom,” said the Alor Setar MP, referring to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. 

Thus, Mr Afnan said, his party members noted for donning “jubah” and “kopiah” – Malay terms for the robes and skullcaps usually worn by religious scholars – should reach out to the modern-minded “jeans and caps” youth, to appear more relevant to this demographic.

Gen Zs are those born between 1997 and 2012, and Gen Alphas are born from about 2010 onwards. They will form a key voting bloc aged 18 to 31 by Malaysia’s next general election, due in 2028 or earlier.

However, some Pemuda members say PAS has not effectively reached out to young people, who are now shunning the party.

At the congress debates, Mr Subhan Djupri, a youth wing delegate representing the Federal Territories, said: “Our (PAS) way of reaching out to them (young voters) is weak, and they don’t see practical solutions (from us).” He added that PAS is generally viewed by young voters as a party for “pious people”.

Political scientist Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid from Universiti Sains Malaysia told The Straits Times that the not-so-ideal economic conditions young people face is an opportunity for PAS to exploit.

“PAS’ technocratic figures could use the opportunity to present alternative views to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani government, which continues to be dogged by controversy,” he said.

But other observers say PAS needs to offer more than “revving their RX-Z”, a tactic previously taken by now-convicted former prime minister Najib Razak with his “bossku” image that appealed to the motorbike-riding culture of the working class, after his Barisan Nasional coalition fell in 2018.

In its Orang Kita: The Politics Of Acknowledgement And Resentment report released in August 2025, Kuala Lumpur-based think-tank Iman Research said its study found that the “green wave” was a form of protest voting against perceived failures of the ruling elite.

Rather than voting for Islamisation, the report suggested, voters were instead motivated by a demand for integrity, fairness and honesty in Malaysian leadership.

Mr Aziff Azuddin, 35, research director at Iman Research, told ST: “(Malay) youth are also concerned about their economic livelihoods and futures. This is where PAS has yet to show it is competent, in economic and social policy. PAS, so far, has used a victimhood narrative of federalism... to distract attention from their governing weaknesses. But the question is: How sustainable is this?”

Political analyst Bridget Welsh said PAS’ efforts highlighted at the congress were made on the assumption that only young Malays would vote for them.

“Style only goes so far and, unless matched with meaningful policy, will not yield the electoral support it seeks,” Dr Welsh told ST.

“Many of the most serious youth issues are being faced by the youth in the states they (PAS) govern – drugs, unemployment, social mobility, incomes, other social issues and more,” she added.

Still, up-and-coming faces in the party whom ST met at the congress, called muktamar by the party, remain unfazed by demands and criticisms that the party should change its tack.

“Consistency is key,” said Dr Tengku Muhammad Fakhruddin, a 37-year-old Terengganu state assemblyman who was appointed a member of PAS Youth’s central working committee during the youth wing’s polls.

Dr Fakhruddin was referring to PAS’ long-held tradition of discipline and reverence for direction dictated by its powerful Syura Council.

“As an Islamic political organisation, we can’t run away from our principles,” said Dr Fakhruddin, noting the party remains steadfast against issues like gambling, corruption and alcohol sales, while exercising flexibility on some matters like public entertainment.

The youth wing also touted its Young Professionals Department – an advisory body on fields ranging from medicine to economics – as part of its plan to push more technocrats to the fore, in the mould of members such as Terengganu chief minister Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, an aerospace engineer by training, and Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Sulaiman, an economist.

Mr Usman Che Aziz, 27, a government medical officer who is part of the youth wing’s publicity team, noted Pemuda’s attempt to bridge the gap between Islamic and secular professionals. He said it was “to professionalise the ulama (Islamic scholars), and ulama-ising the professionals”.