PAS decides to sever ties with Bersatu

 The Islamic party decides to form a new electoral pact to 'unite the ummah' as it faces the upcoming state elections and GE16.

On May 22, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (right) said his party was reassessing its ties with Bersatu and would possibly contest GE16 without Muhyiddin Yassin’s party.

PETALING JAYA:

PAS has decided to sever ties with Bersatu, nearly three weeks after the party’s president, Abdul Hadi Awang, accused Bersatu of straining ties between both parties.

This was decided by the Islamic party’s central committee, which convened at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur tonight to make a decision on its relationship with Bersatu.

In a statement, Hadi said the PAS leadership had thoroughly reviewed the position and direction of its alliance with Bersatu based on reports and evaluations.

“The PAS central committee meeting today has decided to halt its political cooperation with Bersatu,” he said.

Instead, PAS will explore forming a new political pact to face the upcoming state elections and the next general election (GE16), with the goal of “uniting the ummah”.

Hadi said PAS welcomes academics, professionals, political leaders and community activists to join its ranks.

On May 22, Hadi had said PAS was reassessing its ties with Bersatu and would possibly contest GE16 without Muhyiddin Yassin’s party.

He said several issues had strained ties between the two parties, including the move to unseat the Perlis menteri besar, alleged interference in appointments involving Kedah and Kelantan, and Bersatu’s opposition to admitting new Malay-Muslim parties into Perikatan Nasional.

On May 25, Muhyiddin sent a letter to PAS leaders rebuffing Hadi’s allegations and justifying his party’s actions on the issues raised by the PAS president.

The strained ties between PAS and Bersatu have also been followed by calls for the Islamic party to revive its Muafakat Nasional alliance with Umno, a key component of the unity government.

Last week, Hadi confirmed that PAS and Umno leaders had met at a “regular meeting”.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, however, the leaders involved did not discuss reviving their defunct pact with PAS. - FMT