PAS DEPUTY president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has openly criticised Bersatu for actions he said weakened Perikatan Nasional (PN) and disrupted Opposition‑led state administrations.
He stressed that political cooperation must be built on trust and solidarity, warning that Bersatu’s recent decisions – including withdrawing support in Perlis, retracting statutory declarations in Negeri Sembilan, and suspending or sacking state leaders in Kelantan and Kedah – have strained ties within PN.
“Political cooperation must be built on trust and solidarity. Efforts should be made to strengthen them, not otherwise. Many of Bersatu’s actions lately have been seen as weakening PN, to the extent that they disrupted the smooth administration of state governments,” New Straits Times quoted him as saying.
Tuan Ibrahim cautioned that such moves disappointed the public and risked fracturing the coalition ahead of 16th General Election. He urged Bersatu to avoid escalating disciplinary actions and instead focus on building allies.
“These actions do not help the coalition and have disappointed the people,” he said. “I don’t want to meddle in Bersatu’s disciplinary affairs, but we should be working towards making fewer enemies and more allies.”
His remarks follow the statement from PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang that the party is reassessing its cooperation with Bersatu and may contest the next election alone if no agreement is reached.
Tuan Ibrahim said PAS leaders share these concerns and want to prevent history from repeating itself.
“We do not want history to repeat itself, so we need to be cautious now with Bersatu,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bersatu said it takes a serious view of the statement from Hadi on the relationship and cooperation between the two parties.
Bersatu information chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz emphasised that all matters concerning Perikatan Nasional should be reviewed comprehensively, guided by comradeship, mutual understanding, and shared responsibility to strengthen coalition unity.
“We will study all issues raised and discuss them in depth during the coming Bersatu political bureau and supreme council meetings,” he said in a statement on Friday (May 22). — May 23, 2026
Main photo credit: Bernama
