PAS Kindergartens Help Win Sabah Seat

In November 2025, Aliakbar Gulasan made history in the Malaysian state of Sabah. He became the first candidate from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia — also known as PAS — to win a state election in East Malaysia. Analysts say his victory was powered by two things: a wide network of affordable Islamic kindergartens and his warm, respectful style with voters of all backgrounds. He won in a tough race against 10 other candidates in the mixed community of Karambunai.

PAS runs 123 preschools in Sabah called PASTI centres. These schools charge as little as RM60 per month in rural areas — about half the price of regular childcare centres. In 2026, more than 7,000 children aged four to six are enrolled in these centres across the state. Sabah is Malaysia's poorest state, so the low fees make a big difference for families.

The PASTI preschool network first started in the late 1980s in the states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Today, it has grown to nearly 2,500 centres with 10,000 teachers and over 125,000 students all across Malaysia. Children learn reading, writing, maths, and Islamic knowledge, including memorising parts of the Quran. Even some non-Muslim students attend, though they skip the religious classes.

Political analyst Kamles Kumar said the preschools do more than teach children. They help PAS activists connect with parents, teachers, and whole families over time. This builds a large, loyal community around the party — even in places where PAS is not usually strong. He compared it to how youth or faith-based groups build long-term supporters in Western countries.

Teacher Nafisah Matli, 35, has worked at the PASTI centre in Karambunai since 2019. She said parents love how flexible the school is — gates open at 6:30 a.m. for working parents, and extended daycare is available after the 11:30 a.m. dismissal. Inside, classroom walls are covered with charts showing Arabic scripts, Jawi writing, Romanised Malay, English, and basic numbers. Three teachers share the work of running each class.

Grandmother Norsiah Omar, 59, chose PASTI for her six-year-old grandson, Adam Zaref, even though a government kindergarten was just 100 metres away. After attending the school, Adam could already recite two full chapters of the Quran. She said PASTI built his foundation and taught him Islamic values. The government kindergarten also teaches Islamic values, but it is not branded as a fully Islamic preschool.

Aliakbar's respectful personal style was just as important as the preschool network. Sabah has a large Christian population — about 24.7% — which is far higher than in other Malaysian states. While PAS is often seen as focused only on Malay-Muslim concerns, Aliakbar showed respect for all communities. His wife's relatives are Christian, and he once visited a grieving Christian family and paid his respects in front of images of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Aliakbar also donated to local churches and joined the Kaamatan harvest festival, celebrated by the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut community every May 30 and 31. Even a leader from rival party Parti Warisan praised his gentle, soft-spoken approach. Analyst Tan Seng Keat said his win was about personal branding more than party ideology. Before politics, Aliakbar was a senior university lecturer, and he spent years building trust as a nominated assemblyman from 2020 onward.

Analysts believe PAS may now look for more candidates like Aliakbar to win over voters in new areas. Kamles called him a 'dark horse' — someone unexpected who performs surprisingly well. PAS already controls several states, including Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah, and wants to expand into richer states like Selangor and technology hub Penang. Experts say this strategy does not mean PAS is changing its beliefs, but that it is finding smarter ways to reach more voters.