Bersatu and PAS: Backing for Umno-led federal govt is conditional

 

Bersatu and PAS today sought to impress on the fact that their support for the Umno-led federal government is conditional.

This was amid Umno agitating Bersatu and PAS by triggering an election in Johor with the goal of ousting them from the new state government.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin (above) and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, in a joint press conference in Shah Alam today, said Bersatu and PAS held a two-day celebration and have made seven resolutions.

This included their reiteration that "PAS and Bersatu's support for the federal government is conditional and must be respected and negotiated based on integrity, anti-corruption and welfare".

Bersatu has a total of 32 MPs while PAS has 18, making a total of 50 out of the 221 seats in the Dewan Rakyat. The 222nd seat is vacant.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also the Umno vice president, has the support of 116 MPs. They include the 50 MPs from PAS and Bersatu.

In their joint resolutions, they also panned political machinations by "certain quarters" whom they say have closed the door to unity, threatened political stability and put the rakyat's lives at stake.

While not naming names, the duo appear to be referring to Umno which was responsible for triggering the Johor polls amid a surge of Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.

Muhyiddin said Bersatu and PAS, as well as other coalition partners, will once again contest under the PN logo during the Johor polls.

Muhyiddin said PN will also learn from the Malacca polls which saw a landslide victory for BN and hope to perform better.

"We know the situation there... and of course, we take note of the results of the Malacca polls to put together a proper and right strategy that will determine the winning factor.

"We won't reveal the strategy but surely, we know what we want to do... but rest assured, we will manage them when we face the election," he said.

Bersatu, PAS to strengthen ties

In their joint resolutions, Bersatu and PAS also made a commitment to strengthen their cooperation all the way to the grassroots levels.

They also made a commitment to consolidate national and Muslim unity based on mutual trust and equal partnership. This includes the involvement of non-political entities.

They will also redouble efforts to court independent and young voters through clear messaging.

The joint commitment came amid an increasingly strained relationship with Umno even though they are part of the same federal government.

There has been speculation that Bersatu and PAS have discussed the possibility of quitting the federal government after becoming outraged at Umno's stunt in Johor.

However, they are also mindful that Umno is in a stronger position and face serious risks if the federal government collapses.

Umno's incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad on Jan 22 sought a dissolution of the Johor state assembly, paving the way for fresh polls within 60 days.

The Election Commission will announce the nomination and polling dates on Feb 9.

 - Mkini