UMNO deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan reminded PAS that it cannot remain in Putrajaya without the latter’s support.
“Without UMNO, there is no way PAS can be part of the Federal Government and the latter knows it all too well.
“But if you feel Barisan Nasional (BN) is no longer relevant, then let us return the mandate to the people. Allow the people decide whether they want PAS, Perikatan Nasional or whatever,” he said, in a Facebook post.
Yesterday, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang fired a salvo on UMNO, calling it ungrateful for refusing to forge an electoral pact with the Islamist party.
“We saved a lame duck. It broke its leg during the 14th general election… Unfortunately, when it healed, it wanted to swim on its own. It left us. This is immoral and not correct,” Malaysiakini reported the Marang MP as saying.
Later, he posted a video on Facebook warning UMNO against triggering more state elections, threatening that Perikatan Nasional would “strike back”.
“Do not push for any more state elections. But if you insist on having another one, we will respond with our own strategy. PAS has a million members, 800,000 of whom are active members,” Free Malaysia Today reported him as saying.
Democratic UMNO vs “autocratic PAS”
Training his guns against Hadi, Mohamad Hasan said that the state polls in Johor was triggered due to “strategic reasons”, not pressure from any quarters.
He added that Johor menteri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad had his own reasons and it was unbecoming for other parties to question it.
“UMNO is not like PAS, where the latter’s member must abide by their president’s decision in totality. We are a democratic party and not controlled by any particular group.
“In fact, when UMNO decided to withdraw support from former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, only 12 of our MPs abided. That’s how democratic we are,” Mohamad Hasan mentioned.
The Rantau lawmaker remarked: “You can call us ducks, geese, tigers or whatever you want, but the fact remains that UMNO is the largest Malay political party in the country.
“And we rose back to prominence due to the people’s support and Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan’s abysmal performance while running the country.” – Jan 29, 2022
