Siblings? Umno, PAS have different parents, Ku Li tells Dr M

The Umno veteran says the PH chairman was out to provoke party members with such statements.

Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah denies Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s claim that Umno and PAS are ‘siblings’.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today rubbished the prime minister’s accusation that his party and PAS were “siblings”, adding that Dr Mahathir Mohamad was out to provoke party members.

“How can he say that Umno and PAS are siblings when the two parties have different parents?” the Gua Musang MP, popularly known as Ku Li, said outside the Dewan Rakyat.

Mahathir, who is also the Pakatan Harapan chairman, described the parties as “siblings” after the Islamist party decided against fielding a candidate in the coming Sungai Kandis by-election.

Umno Youth Chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki had previously said that PAS would give way to Umno to ensure a straight fight between PKR and the Malay-based party.

But PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the Islamist party was opting out as it was still studying the findings of its GE14 post-mortem report.

The by-election – the first since the May 9 polls – will see a three-cornered fight involving BN candidate Lokman Noor Adam; Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni from PKR and independent candidate K Murthy.

Lokman said last night that he would meet with PAS leaders in the state constituency to get them to join his campaign and to woo the Malay voters.

The by-election on Aug 4 is being held following the death of PKR assemblyman, Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei, from lymphoma cancer on July 2. - FMT