Umno leader: Better to move forward, don't dwell on PAS(t)

Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi has urged all quarters in the party to look ahead instead of contemplating a reunion with PAS.

Stating that it is better to “move forward”, Puad noted how the previous cooperation between the two parties had failed with Muafakat Nasional.

Umno and PAS formed Muafakat after BN’s defeat in 2019. However, the alliance unravelled the following year when PAS also sought to work with Bersatu in Perikatan Nasional.

"For the time being, let's not talk about the Umno-PAS cooperation. It is not heading anywhere. The opportunity was lost when Muafakat failed,” he added in a Facebook post today.

At the time, according to Puad (above), Umno and PAS were united in their opposition towards the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) and Rome Statute when the Pakatan Harapan government was in power.

"However, this cooperation was hindered when political factors came into play," he said.

Puad's remark comes following a statement by fellow Umno supreme council member Isham Jalil, saying that PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar could become the prime minister if PN succeeds in wooing Umno again in the next general election.

Isham said this after the Terengganu menteri besar's landslide victory in the recently concluded Kemaman polls.

Umno supreme council member Isham Jalil

Puad said any realignment between Umno and PAS would only serve as a "marriage of convenience".

He also suggested for Umno to continue being part of the coalition government and focus on the economy.

At the same time, Puad urged PN to serve as a constructive opposition.