No need for us to join MN, Amanah tells PAS

 

Amanah leaders say the unity government is already safeguarding the interests of Malay-Muslims. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Amanah leaders say they have no intention of playing any part in the possible revival of Muafakat Nasional (MN), following a suggestion by a PAS leader for the resurrection of the pact originally inked with Umno in 2019.

Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar told FMT that such cooperation was unnecessary as PAS had not wished to work with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to form the unity government after the 15th general election in 2022.

“What’s the point of Amanah joining (MN) if it’s to destroy the government and damage the country we’ve built?

“PAS has not changed… They only want to seize power or destabilise the country,” the former Pokok Sena MP said.

Amanah, one of three PH component parties, is a PAS splinter which broke away from the party in 2015 following its departure from the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar had yesterday expressed openness to restoring the MN pact with Umno.

Speaking in an episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast, he said he was also willing to work with Amanah as part of broader efforts to unite Malay parties.

“Coming together can mean different things. What’s important is that we make decisions based on what is right, not sentiments. So, for me, what is right should include Amanah, Umno and others,” he said.

Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda agreed with Mahfuz, saying MN should be considered “irrelevant” as the unity government was already safeguarding the interests of Malay-Muslims.

“There is no need for Amanah to join MN. The unity government has proven to be more stable and solid than MN, which was fragile and easily fragmented,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amanah deputy president Mujahid Yusof Rawa said there was no reason for the party to turn its back on its long-standing partnership with its PH allies, especially after Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim stressed the need for political stability during his maiden address to the Dewan Rakyat last month.

Mujahid said MN should work to develop the country and cooperate with the unity government in “any form necessary”.

MN was established by Umno and PAS in September 2019 in an effort to unite the Malay-Muslim electorate after PH won power in the 2018 general election.

The alliance folded amid strained ties with Umno following PAS’s attempt in 2020 to bring in Bersatu after joining Perikatan Nasional.

Last December, Amanah vice-president Adly Zahari said the party did not view PAS as an enemy and would welcome its participation in the unity government.

However, PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin dismissed the idea, saying Amanah must sever ties with DAP if it was genuinely interested in a collaboration.

Last month, Hashim said he was confident that informal talks had been held between leaders of the two parties to revive the alliance, and insisted that PAS would not close the door to any form of cooperation with Umno to revive MN.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi however dismissed Hashim’s offer as insincere. - FMT