KUALA LUMPUR – Amid a souring relationship between PAS and Umno, the Islamist party now appears to be considering cutting all ties with its Muafakat Nasional (MN) partner.
PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin said the betrayals by certain factions within Umno, including in causing the collapse of the previous Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and triggering a number of state elections, have led PAS to reconsider its cooperation.
The Dewan Negara senator warned that his party’s patience has limits, and that it would not hesitate to part ways if it is established that the marriage of convenience with Umno has affected Muslim unity.
“What is happening right now, with the betrayal of a certain number of Umno leaders towards PN, we are taking this into consideration,” he said during a dialogue session with Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
“If you are asking me when is the turning point for PAS, we will stick to our procedure. The matter is now under consideration. If there is strong support (to sever ties), we will call for an emergency assembly (Muktamar).
“We will then table this to the PAS Syura Council to turn it into a policy. At the moment, we call our members to be patient, because the action we are taking has to be strategized and not made too hastily.”
PAS’ relationship with Umno has taken a turn for the worse in recent months, with the former insisting on political cooperation involving Bersatu, while Barisan Nasional’s leading component appear more interested in taking its own path.
Khairil Nizam, however, acknowledged that the blame for causing instability should not go to Umno as a whole, but rather the faction of leaders embroiled in court cases.
He said PAS continues to respect the group of Umno members who are currently part of the Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led government, whose focus is to take Malaysia out of the doldrums.
“We cannot group all of them in the same basket. But there are certain Umno leaders who are acting unreasonably, including dissolving the Melaka assembly and what is happening now in Johor.
“PAS’ respect only goes to the cluster that wants unity, among them are those who are with the government now.”
For Khairil Nizam, the decisions made by those he describes as the “court cluster” were motivated by personal, vested interests.
He said other parties within PN, as well as government-friendly entities like Gabungan Parti Sarawak, are forced to support Umno to lead the government to ensure stability.
“In the current situation, the political stability is disrupted by those with vested interests. They are the ones who lost in the last general election and those facing court cases.” – The Vibes, February 2, 2022
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