PN, IPR could clash at GE16, says Umno man

 Puad Zarkashi says PAS may eventually move to expel Bersatu from Perikatan Nasional over growing tensions within the coalition.

Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said tensions between Bersatu and PAS had worsened as the former was intent on becoming the dominant force within PN.

PETALING JAYA:

An Umno leader has predicted that the 16th general election (GE16) could see a clash between Muhyiddin Yassin-led Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), which is currently headed by Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

In a Facebook post, Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said tensions between Bersatu and PAS have worsened as the former was intent on becoming the dominant force within PN.

Puad claimed Bersatu believes it is more deserving of key positions such as the post of prime minister, while its president Muhyiddin saw himself as better suited to lead PN as the coalition comprises two non-Malay component parties.

“But Bersatu forgets that it has relied heavily on PAS’s strength. PAS is a grassroots party built on the Islamic ideology it champions,” he said in a Facebook post.

“Bersatu does not have strong grassroots support … as 80% of its members are from Umno.”

He said there was a possibility that GE16 would witness a contest between IPR and PN, adding that PAS could eventually “kick Bersatu out” of the coalition.

“Perhaps it would be better for Bersatu to leave PN voluntarily,” Puad said.

His comments come amid speculation over strained ties between PAS and Bersatu following remarks by the former’s president Abdul Hadi Awang suggesting the Islamic party could contest the next general election without Bersatu.

In an FMT report today, political analyst Syaza Shukri said the growing polemic between PAS and Bersatu had caused unease among smaller parties aligned with the opposition bloc through the loose IPR alliance.

She said while the parties linked to IPR would want to see the opposition defeat Pakatan Harapan in GE16, they also realised that this goal would be hard to achieve without PAS.

Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) president P Waytha Moorthy recently appealed to all parties within PN, especially PAS, to continue prioritising unity and the interests of the people.

MAP is among the 11 parties in IPR, which also includes Muda, Gerakan, Mukhriz Mahathir’s Pejuang, Ibrahim Ali’s Putra and P Ramasamy’s Urimai. - FMT