PAS assessing Umno’s strength in Melaka as it mulls alliance with BN

 Party president Abdul Hadi Awang says the approach taken will hinge on the strength of the parties involved.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang told PAS members not to fret over seat negotiations for the Melaka election. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

PAS is assessing Umno’s strength in Melaka as it mulls an alliance with Barisan Nasional (BN) for the state election, its president Abdul Hadi Awang says.

He said PAS had taken different approaches in previous state elections depending on the strength of the parties involved.

“As for Melaka, I don’t know whether Umno is strong or not. We will discuss it,” he said in a speech at a Melaka PAS fundraising dinner last night.

The Marang MP told PAS members not to fret over seat negotiations but to abide by the party’s decision.

“Decisions are made based on discussions held by the party leadership. Once a decision has been made, we carry it out.”

He gave the example of the Johor election, where PAS helped Umno and other BN parties in seats that Perikatan Nasional (PN) did not contest. BN ultimately retained control of the state, winning 48 of the 56 seats it contested.

“We instructed members in Johor to vote for PAS in seats we were contesting, but vote for (BN components) Umno, MCA or MIC in seats that PAS wasn’t vying for,” he said.

He compared the arrangement to a football match where PAS played the goalkeeper who allowed Umno to “score”.

“In the end, Umno won while we did not score any goals. But that’s all right,” he added.

PN lost the contest for all 33 seats it contested in Johor.

In Negeri Sembilan, PAS adopted a different approach where it played a more direct role alongside Umno, Hadi said, adding that the alliance saw them included in the state government.

On Friday, Hadi claimed that BN’s leadership was divided about forming an alliance with PN for the Melaka polls. However, he said he was confident an agreement could be reached.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi initially said the Umno-led coalition would continue its alliance with PN for the Melaka polls following their victory at the Aug 1 election in Negeri Sembilan. However, he has since insisted on defending the 21 seats BN won in the 2021 state election. - FMT