Zahid: Muafakat restoration must be guided by original charter

 

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said any attempt at restoring the Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact it has with PAS must be guided by its original principles as per the pact’s charter.

In a statement last night, he said Umno has never abandoned the ‘penyatuan ummah’ (ummah unity) agenda but it can never accept working with anyone who “betrays” them and make BN as their “ultimate enemy”, which is understood to be directed at Bersatu.

“Umno has never abandoned the unity for ummah agenda, which has been the basis of political stability in the country. That is why Umno since the very beginning had been stressing about sincerity in any kind of (political) pact.

“However, Umno can never accept those who continue to commit betrayal and make BN their ultimate enemy.

“Thus, any effort to reconcile the MN or any other form of political cooperation, it must be guided by its original charter and principles which have been agreed upon,” he said.

Zahid said this after confirming that he had a meeting with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang at his residence on Sept 17.

According to the BN chairperson, he and Hadi discussed many things during the four-eyed meet, including the ummah unity agenda which both parties had previously worked on together.

Umno and PAS had entered a loose political pact in 2019, which they named Muafakat Nasional. The cooperation was marked by both parties signing a five-point charter.

At the time, both parties were in the opposition after Umno and its BN coalition were defeated in the 2018 general election.

The next year (2020), Umno and PAS joined hands with Bersatu to commit a political coup where they seized power from the then Pakatan Harapan federal government and formed what is today called Perikatan Nasional.

However, things had since turned sour, especially between Umno and Bersatu, leaving PAS to choose between the two.

Last month, rumours abounded about PAS allegedly deliberating to abandon Bersatu for Umno, including that Hadi had gone to meet Zahid for a discussion.

On September 28, PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin indicated that the party might make a decision whether it will side with Bersatu or Umno soon. - Mkini