Umno willing to offer seats to PAS for GE15, says Ulama chief

PAS MUKTAMAR | Newly elected PAS Ulama chief Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh has claimed that Umno is willing to offer its seats to PAS in the 15th general election as part of an alliance against Pakatan Harapan.

Although there have been no formal talks on seat distributions, the Pasir Puteh MP expressed confidence that the matter could be discussed between PAS and Umno.

"I would like to thank Umno for its willingness to offer its seats to us.

"Although the seats belong to them, there are many voices among the Umno leadership, they say, 'If PAS wants any seat, just tell, we can discuss it. No problem'," he told reporters at a press conference after the PAS Dewan Ulama muktamar at Wisma Belia, Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, today.

Likewise, Zawawi said, PAS would be willing to offer its seats to Umno based on strategic considerations to ensure victory.

"If a situation happens that we see from a strategic perspective, (let’s say) if Umno contests (in a PAS seat) and there's a better chance of winning, there is no problem for us to hand it over to our friends.

"That is our openness. Until now we are very open on the issue of seat distributions," he said.

PAS contested against Harapan and BN in the last general election together with its Gagasan Sejahtera allies.

Since then, the party has forged a close co-operation with BN and Umno in the name of Malay-Muslim unity as seen in the recent series of by-elections after GE14.

'No cooperation with Amanah'

Meanwhile, Zawawi stressed that PAS has permanently cut ties with its former colleagues from splinter party Amanah.

He said there are differences that can be settled through discussion, and others that must be battled out.

"In Islam there are two ways...there is the discussion table and there is the battlefield.

"There is time for patience, while others have to die as martyrs. This is Islam. It is not just one way," he said.

He further cited examples set by Prophet Muhammad SAW to illustrate how not all parties could be engaged for co-operation, particularly parties that had once allegedly betrayed PAS.

"Rasulullah continued to preach to Abu Jahal, Abu Lahab, Abu Sufyan...But with Abdullah Ubari, he stopped. There was no co-operation.

"And PAS would like to stress, for those who have betrayed the party, we will not open the doors for discussion with them. That is clear," he said.

He added that exceptions will only be made for former PAS members who decide to leave Amanah and rejoin the party.

Amanah was formed in 2015 as a splinter party following internal PAS elections, which saw the progressive faction being wiped out by another group led by conservatives. - Mkini