PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has criticised UMNO for being ungrateful after the latter’s reluctance to form an electoral pact.
“We saved a lame duck. It broke its leg during the 14th general election… Unfortunately, when it was healed, it wanted to swim on its own. It left us,” Hadi told reporters in Marang, Terengganu on Friday (Jan 28), adding that the act was both immoral and not correct.
He went on to note that Muafakat Nasional must encompass Bersatu and even non-Muslim parties and claimed that this had been agreed upon by the Muafakat Nasional committee as the goal was to replace Barisan Nasional, which Hadi said was “no longer relevant”.
The relationship between both parties have been under strain since the Melaka state polls in November last year, which saw UMNO eventually emerging triumphant.
Following announcements of the dissolution of the Johor state assembly, PAS has been renewing their efforts to strike an electoral pact, although UMNO has been lukewarm to the idea.
In an exclusive interview with news portal Malaysiakini on Wednesday (Jan 26), Johor UMNO deputy chief Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that PAS’s attempt to secure a meeting with Johor UMNO chief Datuk Hasni Mohammad was an attempt to “save themselves” and ensure that they stay in Government.
He was commenting about ongoing attempts by the Johor PAS leadership to seek a meeting with Hasni a day after the Johor MB had announced that Barisan Nasional – a coalition led by UMNO – will not be seeking further alliances in the forthcoming Johor state polls.
Nur Jazlan further said that he had no intention of meeting with Johor PAS leaders as UMNO’s leadership and grassroots had already come to a decision that they must cut ties with the PN coalition of which PAS is a member of. – Jan 28, 2022
