PETALING JAYA: Muafakat Nasional (MN) is still alive according to Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, referring to the party’s political pact with PAS.
Umno and PAS formed the MN alliance in September 2019 as an electoral understanding with the main aim being to unite the Malay-Muslims.
However, their impending clash at the Nov 20 Melaka polls – after PAS agreed to contest under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner – has seen veteran politicians like Umno’s Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy predicting the demise of the pact between the two parties.
This will be the first time that Umno and PAS will clash since their historic coming together under the MN umbrella, with the two parties set for a fight in seven seats in Melaka.
“I recently commented on the cooperation that Umno wants with PAS. MN is not dead and is still alive,” Ahmad was quoted as saying by the Malaysia Gazette.
“PAS members want MN to survive, and the Umno leadership knows this very well.
“MN has a charter that we have signed, including not clashing at the national level during the distribution of seats,” he said.
Ahmad added that Umno was standing by its decision at its general assembly, where the party’s top leaders agreed on MN to be strengthened.
The Pontian MP also described the parties’ clash at the Melaka polls as a friendly competition.
Last week, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said the MN accord died after PAS chose to side with PN in the Melaka election.
PN is led by Umno splinter party Bersatu, and the disdain between the two parties is no secret.
Ramasamy, meanwhile, said MN is “dead and gone” as a result of PAS contesting under the PN banner in the Melaka polls, adding that the political scenario which brought PAS and Umno together was no longer relevant.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man previously said the Islamist party had no plans to leave MN despite the impending clashes with Umno in the Melaka election. - FMT
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