Political observer Mohd Sayuti Omar said the cracks between the two largest Malay parties had widened and their ties could “break at any given time”.

“The charter has been ripped apart,” he told FMT, referring to the Muafakat Nasional pact signed by both parties in 2019.

And if ties are not mended before the upcoming Johor polls, Sayuti said the state would turn into a battleground that would eventually lead to the two parties becoming enemies, as they were back in the 1990s.

He also said that failure to find common ground would see the two going against each other in the next general election, especially if Perikatan Nasional wins big in the Johor polls.

Such an outcome, he said, would see PAS reject Umno.

However, he does not rule out the possibility of the two parties reconciling after the 15th general election, especially if there was a change of leadership in PAS.

“The alliance between Umno and PAS was determined by PAS leaders and not by external factors.”

On the other hand, Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, does not think that the PAS-Umno relationship has reached an end.

Rather, PAS’ response to power-sharing and seat allocation in its strongholds, namely Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, would be the deal breaker.

PAS, he said, may have felt insulted and left disappointed over Umno’s offer of four seats for the Johor polls.

Umno defended its decision, noting that it had garnered more votes than PAS even in the constituencies it had previously lost in the state.

“Still, I don’t think they have reached breaking point.”

PAS, however, needs to bring something to the table in its relationship with Umno, Azmi added.

He said PAS wanted to hang on to Umno’s coattails, especially in the latter’s strongholds like Melaka and Johor.

Azmi said PAS, therefore, must make Umno a counter-offer it cannot refuse in the east coast states that it controls.

“Umno is waiting for this (counter-offer) and the response will make or break the relationship”.