Political analyst Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the PN position was of no use compared to that of PAS division chief, which had the backing of party members, allowing them to wield influence.

“PN division chief is (nothing) but just the name of a position,” he told FMT.

Azmi said even if the PN division chief has control over the coalition’s election machinery, PAS already has a superior organisation.

“We have seen in the Melaka and Johor elections that Bersatu’s election machinery is not something to be shouted about compared to PAS or Barisan Nasional,” he said.

On Sunday, PN announced that it had appointed 13 division chiefs in Kelantan, with nine of them from PAS. The most notable appointees were energy and natural resources minister Takiyuddin Hassan as Kota Bharu PN chief, and Kelantan deputy menteri besar Amar Nik Abdullah as Pengkalan Chepa PN chief.

Kuala Krai MP Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman was named the Kuala Krai PN chief, while three state executive councillors – Saripudin Tuan Ismail, Fadzli Hassan and Hanifa Ahmad – lead the Pasir Puteh, Machang and Pasir Mas divisions, respectively.

Azmi and Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the appointments would not work to persuade PAS to use the PN logo for the upcoming general election.

Azmi said the Melaka and Johor election results were reason enough for PAS to contest under its own banner.

Azeem said, “If you change your brand midway, it can work against you. So, for PAS, I think they might want to stick to their proven strategy, which is to continue using their own logo.”

He speculated that PAS might even lose votes if they switched to the PN logo, as GE15 would be the first time that PN would contest in Kelantan and Terengganu using its own logo.