SHAH ALAM – Pas will remain part of Perikatan Nasional (PN) for the time being, despite its decision to end political cooperation with Bersatu.
Based on a report by news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Pas central committee member Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said party president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s statement on the matter did not mention any withdrawal from PN.
“So our existing position (in PN) remains,” he told reporters after leaving the Pas headquarters at Jalan Raja Laut here, last night.
It was also reported that Pas information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari declined to comment on what the decision could mean for the opposition coalition and whether the decision to cut ties with Bersatu was made unanimously
“I don’t want to comment on that for now,” he reportedly said.
Earlier, Hadi said the party’s central committee had resolved to end its cooperation with Bersatu following a review of the alliance’s direction.
He said Pas would instead move to form a new political pact aimed at “uniting the ummah” ahead of upcoming state elections and the next general election (GE16).
PN, which was formed jointly by Pas and Bersatu in 2020, is currently led by Pas vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
On May 22, the Marang MP said Pas was reviewing its relationship with Bersatu and might choose to go into GE16 without Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s party.
The worsening ties between Pas and Bersatu have also prompted calls for the Islamist party to revive its Muafakat Nasional cooperation with Umno, a major component of the unity government.
Last week, Hadi confirmed that Pas and Umno leaders had met in what he described as a “regular meeting”.
However, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the issue of reviving the now-defunct pact was not discussed.