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Friday, November 26, 2021

Hadi made it abundantly clear he prefers PN to BN



PAS rejects being ‘shackled’ under Muafakat Nasional


Umno and PAS formed Muafakat Nasional in September 2019 as an electoral understanding with the main aim of uniting the Malay-Muslim vote.

PUTRAJAYA: PAS has rejected its pact with Umno under Muafakat Nasional (MN), with party president Abdul Hadi Awang describing it as akin to being “shackled”.

Umno and PAS formed the MN alliance in September 2019 as an electoral understanding with the main aim of uniting the Malay-Muslim vote.

“It must be accepted that Perikatan Nasional (PN), which has become a bigger political idea, needs to be in power in this plural society,” he told party organ, Harakahdaily.

“PAS can still accept MN, but only if it does not conflict with the larger and more powerful agenda of uniting the people through PN’s political ideas.”

Hadi’s statement implies that PAS will reject MN unless Umno agrees to accept PN, which is led by Umno splinter party Bersatu, as its ally.

In what could be seen as further criticism of Umno, he also said MN seems to be an “incomplete” coalition, and described Barisan Nasional (BN) as “already sick”.

Hadi’s comments also addresses speculation on PAS’ direction after the party contested last Saturday’s Melaka state elections under the PN banner for the first time in eight state constituencies.

Despite losing all the seats, including seven head-to-head clashes with Umno, PAS said the party received more votes than the last general election (GE14) in 2018.

BN won the Melaka polls, taking 21 out of the 28 state seats to regain its two-thirds majority in the state. Pakatan Harapan won five seats while PN took the remaining two.

Several PAS leaders had previously pushed to strengthen PAS-Umno relations through MN without sidelining PN.

However, Hadi’s latest statement confirms his inclination towards PN as opposed to MN.

He stressed that PAS, which leads three state governments and makes up part of the federal government, will not just be a “step-party” or a “passenger”.

“PAS is not a party that craves sympathy like beggars without having dignity in Islam,” he said.

The Marang MP previously accused Umno of breaking promises when it did not agree to Bersatu joining MN.

Several Umno leaders have also urged PAS to stop “swimming in two pools” and choose whether it wanted to side with Bersatu or Umno.

However, according to Hadi, MN and PN cannot exist separately, saying they are like “two arms belonging to one body”.

Umno joined the PN-led government following the Sheraton Move last year but refused to follow PAS in becoming a component party of the then new coalition.

The ongoing Umno-Bersatu animosity saw 15 Umno MPs withdraw support for Muhyiddin, forcing him to resign as prime minister last August.

He was replaced by Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob.



1 comment:

  1. wakakaka shackled under muafakat, bn already sick, what he truly meant to say was pas cannot accept kafirs like mca and mic in a coalition strictly for the ummah, they were ready to elbow/dump bn partners mca/mic in the recently concluded melaka state election with their 14/8/6 seats proposition, but umno wasn't ready to abandon their friends since independence for a smelly whore wakakaka but they will slither their way back just wait wakakaka

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