KUALA LUMPUR – Despite not making a dent in the Melaka polls last Saturday, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang continues to sing the Perikatan Nasional (PN) tune, openly rejecting political ties with Umno.
He said his party rejects Muafakat Nasional (MN) that is “shackled” only by PAS and Umno, which sidelines Malaysia’s plural society, and that it is better represented by a bigger coalition such as PN.
“After the 2018 general election, we need a reform as Barisan Nasional (BN) is diseased. The change started with the formation of the incomplete Muafakat Nasional, which now needs to be made whole with PN.
“We also need to be rid of those who still hold fast to the mindsets of their ‘colonial masters’ as they are seen as ‘pests’ in Keluarga Malaysia,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
He added that PAS will only accept an MN that is completed without conflicts with the larger unity agenda via PN.
Hadi also likened MN and PN to arms of the same body, and without one or the other, it will be left handicapped – similar to wearing only one shoe.
In recent times, PAS has been criticised for playing both sides, keeping MN while courting PN even when Umno brought down the Bersatu-led federal administration.
As political ties with Umno continues to deteriorate, PAS has inched closer to PN lynchpin Bersatu, evidently during the Melaka polls where the Islamist party gave up its green and white logo in exchange for PN’s flag.
However, with a landslide victory by BN in Melaka, Umno has come to the realisation that the coalition can go at it alone, again ditching its “fair-weather” friends such as PAS and at one time, Bersatu.
In October last year, MN leadership came to an agreement “to commit to and strengthen the unity and cooperation between the two parties in preparation for the 15th general election, by officially registering MN with the Registrar of Societies”.
Prior to this, much of the PAS rhetoric was in defence of MN’s pursuit of the Malay Unity agenda. – The Vibes, November 26, 2021
