PAKATAN Harapan (PH) has dismissed PAS’s push for Malay-Muslim unity through closer ties with Umno as a recycled political strategy that has repeatedly failed to gain lasting support.
PH election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had, since 1981, been accused of deepening divisions among Muslims, Malays and Malaysians through his political approach.
The Selangor menteri besar pointed out that Abdul Hadi had, in the same year, labelled Umno as a “jahiliah” party, but was now seeking cooperation with the party in the name of penyatuan ummah or Muslim unity.
“This is not the first time such an effort has been used to influence the people,” Amirudin said in a statement on Friday.
He cited several previous attempts at political realignment involving PAS, including the party’s decision to join Barisan Nasional (BN) in 1972.
He also pointed to the 2008 general election, when BN lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority, and the historic 2018 election defeat that ended BN’s uninterrupted rule since independence.
Amirudin said all three episodes showed that similar political arrangements had ultimately failed.
“It will fail again because of the behaviour of certain ‘political parasites’ who have no principles, lack dignity, are hungry for power and will resort to betrayal when their political ambitions are not fulfilled,” he said.
His remarks come amid renewed cooperation between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and BN in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan state election, where the two coalitions are working together against PH.
PN recently announced 11 candidates to contest under the cooperation pact, completing the line-up for all 36 state seats after BN had earlier unveiled its 25 candidates.
The cooperation has been defended by PAS president Abdul Hadi, who said the understanding between PN and BN was not merely a political stunt but a genuine effort backed by commitment, resources and campaign machinery.
He rejected claims that the partnership was driven by political calculations, saying both sides had shown their commitment on the ground ahead of the August 1 state polls. – July 24, 2026
