Mat Hasan says PAS president's statement on Muafakat pact 'misguided'

 

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had made a "misguided" claim in accusing Umno of defying the Muafakat Nasional pact, according to Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan.

This comes after Hadi's reported claims that PAS' reason for rejecting cooperation with Umno was because the BN-component had gone against the Muafakat pact when it refused to accept Bersatu as a member.

Mohamad in a statement today reminded PAS that Muafakat was not formed with the intention that Bersatu must be made a part of them.

"In fact, one of the reasons that gave birth to Muafakat was to oppose Pakatan Harapan, of which Bersatu at the time was a Harapan component.

"Therefore, to force Umno to accept Bersatu is in contradiction to the spirit in which Muafakat was formed," he said.

Hadi yesterday said that when Muafakat was formed, its charter or agreement stated that the pact can accept new parties, including Bersatu.

However, Hadi said there was a segment of Umno leaders who only wished to see a PAS-Umno pact.

"That (view) goes against our agreement. We hold to the agreement. He can't blame PAS, asking PAS to only be with Umno, because we have an agreement with other parties," said Hadi, according to media reports.

While admitting Muafakat's role to protect all Malays, Mohamad said anyone who chose to join Muafakat must be aligned with the interests of Umno and PAS.

"The Muafakat charter must be interpreted in line with Umno and PAS' political realities. That is why Umno never invited PKR, Amanah, Putra or Pejuang to join Muafakat, even though they too are a part of the ummah.

"In all honesty, it was because Umno did not want to offend PAS," said Mohamad.

"PAS and the whole of Malaysia is aware that Umno delegates have decided that Umno will not cooperate with Bersatu. Umno is bound by this decision.

"So it is very reasonable for this reality to be understood and accepted before PAS make any suggestion for new members in Muafakat," said Mohamad.

'Muafakat a non-binding pact'

Mohamad further said Muafakat is a non-binding agreement, and it was left unregistered as Umno wanted the Malays to view it as a platform for all of them, rather than just PAS or Umno members.

"So, just because of Umno's refusal to accept Bersatu, PAS is abandoning Muafakat.

"The interests of Malaysia and Muslims far supersedes the interest for Bersatu to join Muafakat. Let’s not do something that will eventually drive the Malays further away from Muafakat," said the Rantau assemblyperson.

"I hope the PAS president will continue to be with Umno in exploring various new dimensions in developing Malay empowerment, InsyaAllah," he added.

The PAS-Umno Muafakat charter was signed during a Himpunan Penyatuan Ummah held at PWTC on December 2019, when Bersatu was still a component party and partner to the then Harapan federal government.

Bersatu then left Harapan as it played a major role in initiating the "Sheraton Move" that triggered a change in Putrajaya last February.

It went on to form the Perikatan Nasional government under former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, replacing then Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

At present, while remaining a partner to Umno under Muafakat, PAS was seen to sway towards PN, particularly since the recent Malacca state election where it contested under PN's logo.

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan previously said the status of Umno-PAS cooperation would be determined by its 191 divisions at the party's AGM beginning Dec 18. - Mkini