PAS faces two big tests on its path to power

'We are aiming for 80 seats,' a Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) division chief shared with me on the sidelines of the party's general assembly in Kota Bharu last week. Why 80? What's behind that number? His response: 'Because it will put us in a position to lead the government and shape policy.' The answer is telling of how PAS is calibrating its ambitions as it held its annual convention, or muktamar, alongside the party's 75th anniversary celebrations in Kelantan. It reflected the party's confidence that the next general election will see a coalition of Malay-Muslim parties come to power, and that it is well placed to be the dominant force in this new chapter in Malaysian politics.