INTERVIEW | Umno supreme council member Mohd Razlan Rafii has lauded PAS' refusal to cooperate with his party as it meant Umno can make fewer compromises.
In a recent interview with Malaysiakini, Razlan pointed out a stable government cannot be built on compromises and political chess manoeuvrers.
Citing the previous administrations as examples, he said several PAS leaders had to be given government positions even if they were not qualified.
"Can you imagine a party president who cannot work for his country and yet (the prime minister) had to give him a position?
"(PAS president Abdul) Hadi Awang was given a position with ministerial status purely because of politics. We needed his support, so we gave him a position.
"Even though he does not do any work, we had to give him a position. This is just one of many examples," Razlan (above) added.
He alleged that similar arrangements happened during Pakatan Harapan's 22-month administration.
However, he claimed that BN does not practise this sort of patronage.
"This has never happened in the 60 years (when BN) was in power. We need to put a stop to this.
"That is why BN needs to focus and go solo (without PAS)," Razlan said.
Recently, PAS confirmed that it will no longer pursue an electoral pact with Umno, while suggesting that the latter was corrupt.
This effectively put an end to their Muafakat Nasional pact which began in September 2019.
Malay unity
Razlan said foreign investors want to see political stability which, according to him, only BN can bring.
READ MORE: Umno's Razlan likely to fight PKR’s Fahmi in Lembah Pantai
BN, he said, has been able to resolve their differences with political opponents before, citing Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Umno splinter party Semangat 46 as examples.
"We took Tengku Razaleigh back into the Umno leadership... We took him back to unite (the Malays). We can unite for the bigger picture," he added.
Razlan expressed disappointment that PAS was unable to forge an alliance with Umno because both parties have sizeable followings.
Had the Muafakat alliance succeeded, he said, then it would have been an unprecedented display of Muslim unity.
As a short-lived collective, Umno and PAS had scored many successes at the ballot box and on policy matters, Razlan added, citing the anti-Icerd rally in 2018 as an example.
"Conversely, Bersatu does not have followers. We saw what happened during the by-elections and state polls. Why should (PAS) prioritise them?
"PAS should be looking at how we can unite Malays through the biggest Malay parties," he said. - Mkini
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