LESS than two weeks after declaring it will back Dr Mahathir Mohamad, PAS said it is exploring a formal pact with Umno for the 15th general election to take on Pakatan Harapan.
Negotiations with top Umno leaders on the said pact are slated to begin next week after the conclusion of tomorrow’s Semenyih by-election, where PAS is helping the Barisan Nasional lynchpin take on PH, confirmed the Islamist party’s deputy president, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, last night.
The decision is a departure from PAS’ previous insistence that it will work with Umno only on an ad hoc basis, and remarks that it does not discount the possibility that it will contest against the Malay nationalist party in GE15.
Tuan Ibrahim said PAS is looking into a formal pact with its traditional foe as the idea has received a lot of support from both parties’ grassroots.
“I’ve gone down to many places, and I see Umno and PAS members sitting together. They want an agreement between both parties,” he told a crowd of PAS supporters in Bandar Seri Putera, a Malay-Muslim voting district in Semenyih.
“God willing, in GE15, we will forge a political cooperation to achieve victory. PAS and Umno have many similar principles.”
Since last year’s GE14, PAS and Umno have worked together numerous times as opposition parties, but the scope of their cooperation has been described by PAS leaders as “ta’awun”, an Arabic term that refers to a temporary understanding on a case-by-case basis.
Tuan Ibrahim’s confirmation indicates that PAS is prepared to upgrade its ties with Umno to “tahaluf siyasi”, a permanent political pact sealed with an agreement similar to the type PAS had with DAP and PKR in the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat coalition.
News of the PAS-Umno talks was announced by Umno acting president Mohamad Hasan, who told reporters that the parties’ top leaders will meet on March 7.
Asked whether PAS is working towards “tahaluf siyasi” with Umno, Tuan Ibrahim said: “We are looking at the concept.”
Last month, the Islamist party said it will support Dr Mahathir as prime minister in the event that a no-confidence motion is brought against him. However, PAS said such support does not mean it would not work with Umno.
Tuan Ibrahim said cooperating with Umno is not an alien concept, and was apparent when PAS joined BN in 1974.
“We even campaigned for (third prime minister) Hussein Onn when he contested in the general election.” – THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
MACC to haul up 7 to 9 PAS leaders in RM90 million probe
MORE PAS leaders will be hauled up for questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) tomorrow in its ongoing investigation into the alleged RM90 million donation from Umno.
Sources told The Malaysian Insight that seven to nine party leaders will be called in for questioning at 9am.
They will be questioned at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya as well as in MACC offices in Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis.
This morning, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan was questioned by MACC for more than four hours in Putrajaya after arriving at its headquarters at 9.20am before leaving at 2pm.
“I was questioned about allegations that I owned luxury cars and motorcycles. They did not ask me to hand over any documents,” said the Kota Baru MP after giving his statement.
The anti-graft agency previously recorded statements from PAS central committee member Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, former leader Nasharudin Mat Isa and Amanah vice-president Husam Musa.
Former Bersih chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan also assisted with the investigations.
The MACC is investigating allegations that several leaders of the opposition party received RM90 million suspected to be money from state investor 1Malaysia Development Bhd just before GE14.
The investigation was launched after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang withdrew a suit filed against Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown over her article on the RM90 million.
The two parties reached a settlement out of court, the terms of which were undisclosed.
Earlier today, sources also told The Malaysian Insight that the MACC has frozen several bank accounts belonging to PAS leaders as part of the probe.
The commission also seized cash, a shophouse and several vehicles, they added.
Among the vehicles seized were a Toyota Vellfire, Range Rover and Mini Cooper.
They said RM2.3 million in the bank accounts have been frozen while the shophouse is worth RM2 million.
However, Takiyuddin clarified in a news report that no accounts were frozen, nor were any vehicles or properties seized.
Takiyuddin told Berita Harian that reports by several news portals earlier this afternoon were “baseless”.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
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