Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Mazlan Ali said, as far as PAS members were concerned, the PN chairman’s post and party presidency were two distinct posts and unconnected.

The PN chairmanship comes with its own set of responsibilities, he said, including coordinating and leading the predominantly Malay-Muslim opposition coalition, which also includes Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP).

“It would be difficult for Hadi, who is physically weak, to meet with PN supporters and lead the campaign machinery if there is an election,” he told FMT.

“But Hadi will also not step down as president because in PAS, the president holds office for life.”

Following Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision to resign as PN chairman effective Jan 1, Hadi said his party would take over the coalition’s reins.

However when asked if he was prepared to assume the PN chairmanship, Hadi, 78, cited his advanced age.

Hadi’s reasoning, according to Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, had led to many wondering if the Marang MP was still able to lead PAS.

But Mazlan said that Hadi remains the most influential figure within PAS and retains firm control of the party.

However, he said PAS’s decision to nominate a leader other than its president for the post exposed a “leadership gap” within the party.

“Naming a leader from PAS other than the president will only see it lose respect among its partners.”

When contacted, Azmi said he was of the view that PAS was attempting to restructure the coalition to accommodate Hadi, on grounds that the party has yet to settle on a candidate to succeed Muhyiddin (as PN chairman).

“But it only shows that PAS does not have leaders who can lead beyond the party,” he said, adding that such a perception was “damaging”.