KUALA LUMPUR – While Umno sees political wisdom in possible cooperation with PAS for the 15th general election (GE15), it has reportedly set some stern conditions for the hardline Islamist party.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said PAS must quit the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, which is a rival to Barisan Nasional (BN) led by Umno.
PAS must also officially declare that the party has separated completely from PN and component Bersatu.
“PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang is aware of all these conditions since it was relayed to him during a meeting we had,” Zahid was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times in Alor Gajah after a BN Comms programme today.
“They (PAS) know about the conditions. Only after meeting all these conditions can we begin to discuss (the cooperation between Umno and PAS),” he said.
He was quoted as saying that there have been no official discussions between the two parties over the conditions.
“Since PAS has yet to make an official decision over the matter, I cannot elaborate,” he added.
In a statement later to elaborate on what he said in Alor Gajah, Zahid said Umno had always supported the “unity of the ummah” as does PAS, but Umno will not accept those who betray it and who consider it their “main enemy”.
This appears to be a reference to Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who recently declared BN was his party’s main enemy in GE15.
After the Umno Supreme Council meeting on Friday, secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan had stated that the party’s top leaders took note of the meeting between Hadi and Zahid recently.
On September 14, 2019, Umno and PAS had signed the Muafakat Nasional charter during the Ummah Unity Rally held at the same venue in Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).
The cooperation was aimed at uniting the Muslim community under a single political pact.
However, PAS later officially joined the PN coalition along with Bersatu and Gerakan in August 2020, following the Sheraton Move in February of the same year. – The Vibes, October 2, 2022
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