Cooperation with Umno can last beyond 3 years, says PAS

 Melaka PAS commissioner Zulkifli Ismail hits back at Rafizi Ramli's claim that the cooperation between the two parties will be short-lived.

Melaka PAS commissioner Zulkifli Ismail during a press conference at Melaka PAS’s office in Semabok, today.

SEMABOK:

Melaka PAS says its cooperation with Umno can last beyond three years, dismissing questions over the durability of the political alliance.

Melaka PAS commissioner Zulkifli Ismail said the previous cooperation between the two parties should not be used to measure their commitment to political unity.

“Those of us who are working to make this unity a reality will ensure that it is not just for three years, but for good, God willing,” he said at a press conference here.

He was responding to remarks by Bersama leader Rafizi Ramli, who said Umno and PAS had never managed to share power for more than three years.

Speaking at a ceramah in Pengkalan Batu last night, Rafizi also described Umno as a party that was not founded to share power, saying PAS would eventually learn the same lesson from its previous cooperation with the party.

While PAS and Umno formalised an alliance known as Muafakat Nasional in 2019, it effectively collapsed after PAS joined Bersatu to form Perikatan Nasional the following year.

Zulkifli also said support for the current Barisan Nasional-PN alliance was expected to gain momentum as polling day approached.

BN is contesting 23 seats in Melaka while the PAS-led PN vies for the remaining five under their alliance.

The Umno-led BN has been exploring closer cooperation with PN after an informal electoral alliance at the Negeri Sembilan election in August helped the two coalitions secure a two-thirds majority in the 36-seat state assembly. BN won 18 seats while PN took seven.

PAS also supported BN candidates at the Johor election in July, which saw BN secure 48 out of the 56 state seats. - FMT