Pas confirms move to take over PN chairman post with Muhyiddin’s consent
“When the time comes, we will announce Pas’ candidate."
KUALA LUMPUR - Pas has confirmed its intention to take over the position of Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman from Bersatu unconditionally, with the consent of its president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The decision puts an end to speculation over the leadership vacuum and disputes surrounding the top post of the opposition coalition.
Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who confirmed the matter, said it was agreed upon in a series of discussions between Pas’ top leadership and Muhyiddin.
It would be finalised at the PN Supreme Council meeting expected to be held at the end of this month, he said.
Tuan Ibrahim said Pas has maintained its stance that it never discussed abolishing the PN Chairman post, as it believes the coalition’s leadership structure must be preserved to ensure organisational stability.
“The only question is why Pas did not announce this earlier and why we have not yet named a PN Chairman candidate from Pas.
“This is because as long as the PN Supreme Council meeting has not finalised Muhyiddin’s resignation, Pas feels it would be inappropriate for us to announce the takeover of the post prematurely,” he told Sinar.
The vacancy in the PN Chairman position, which remains unfilled, has raised questions about the future of the coalition.
The ongoing polemic also derailed Pas’s effort to name its leader as the replacement when the agenda of the PN Supreme Council scheduled for Jan 29 was cancelled.
Instead, Muhyiddin invited leaders of the coalition’s main component parties - Pas, the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) and the Malaysian People’s Movement Party (Gerakan) - to meet at his residence on Jan 29.
However, Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang did not attend the meeting, fuelling narratives that internal divisions were becoming more serious.
In a viral letter believed to have been written by Muhyiddin to the leadership of Pas, Gerakan and MIPP, the former prime minister claimed that Pas had agreed for the PN Chairman post to be abolished.
However, Hadi denied the claim, stressing that the abolition of the PN Chairman position was never discussed or agreed upon in their meeting on Jan 16.
Elaborating further, Tuan Ibrahim said Pas has yet to announce a new chairman candidate out of respect for Muhyiddin until the resignation process is officially finalised.
Nevertheless, he said Pas already has a list of suitable candidates to be appointed as the new PN Chairman.
“When the time comes, we will announce Pas’ candidate to carry the responsibility. In the PN constitution, it is never stated that the PN Chairman must come from among the presidents of component parties.
“But if Bersatu says it has to be a president, that’s fine. We will lead harmoniously based on agreement and support from the parties involved,” he said.
Explaining the basis for Pas taking over the post, Tuan Ibrahim said the decision was made after assessing the need to strengthen the coalition’s operations, in addition to considering Pas’ dominance in parliamentary seats and state administrations.
He said the perception that Pas’ leadership weakens non-Malay support is unfounded, as the issue already existed when PN was led by the previous leadership.
He said Pas is ready to lead PN through a harmonious approach based on consensus among all component parties and by strengthening the role of the Presidential Council as a strategic reference body.
“Tan Sri Muhyiddin previously gave a positive response without conditions. We want the chairman to be given a full mandate to manage PN, while arising matters can be referred to the Presidential Council,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim stressed that the takeover aims to strengthen PN’s overall machinery in facing the challenges of the 16th General Election (GE16), which is drawing closer.
Download Sinar Daily application.Click Here!
