KUALA LUMPUR – Umno has given a broad hint that it may work with PAS, its awkward foe-turned-ally-turned-foe, for the upcoming 15th general election.
This was conveyed by several top Umno leaders following a Supreme Council meeting held earlier today.
Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin commented that the party maintains good relations with PAS despite their contentious attitudes towards one another.
“So far, we are not (yet) in conflict. We are not traditional enemies to just easily cut off ties,” he said to reporters following the conclusion of the meeting late last night.
The possible cooperation is based on the strong demand by Umno’s grassroots for both Malay-Muslim parties to work together for the coming election, according to a party source.
This issue was among the matters aired during the meeting at the Umno headquarters.
On September 14, 2019, Umno and PAS had signed the Muafakat Nasional (MN) charter during the Ummah Unity Rally held at the same venue in Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).
The cooperation was to unite the Muslim community under a single political pact.
However, PAS later officially joined the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition along with Bersatu and Gerakan in August 2020, following the Sheraton Move in February of the same year.
Previously, MN had established an office at Menara Dato’ Onn, which was meant to be a meeting point between the secretary-generals of both parties.
However, the office has been largely inactive since PAS formally joined PN.
Nonetheless, another party source indicated that the MN office has had a resurgence of activity in recent weeks.
Similarly, another Supreme Council member, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, also concurred that Umno is looking towards negotiating with PAS “as it is important for the sake of the ummah”.
“We have conducted negotiations with the president and committee (of PAS), so we can get an outcome from our discussions with them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan also stated last night in a statement that the party’s top leaders took note of the meeting between PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, recently. – The Vibes, October 1, 2022
Additional reporting by Lancelot Theseira and Adam Ayzzat
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