PAS is not a beggar and does not need scraps from Umno in the upcoming Johor election, Abdul Hadi Awang said.

The Islamist party chief reminded the country’s biggest Malay party that it had its strengths and could hold its own in polls.

“All that talk that they were giving two seats… four seats in Malacca, was all rumours. There was no negotiations.

“Surely we will not beg for alms, PAS will not beg, we have our strengths,” he said, referring to the Malacca elections last year where the party contested under the Perikatan Nasional banner.

His comment comes after Johor Umno chief Hasni Mohamad questioned the party’s sincerity after it rejected the offer of four seats in the upcoming state polls.

Hasni, who is also Johor menteri besar, said PAS was drawn to the 15 seats offered by Bersatu under Perikatan Nasional.

Hadi said up till today there had been no official negotiations or decisions on the seat arrangements between the Islamist party and Umno for the upcoming polls.

Hasni announced last weekend that the state assembly had been dissolved to pave the way for snap polls, after days of speculation.

It was widely seen as a decision brought on by the Umno leadership which wanted a strong mandate to rule the state.

DAP and Umno hold the most seats in the state with 14 each, followed by Bersatu (11), PKR (7), Amanah (6), MIC (2) and PAS (1), totalling 55 after the death of Kempas assemblyman Osman Sapian on December 22.

Pakatan Harapan claimed 36 of the 56 state seats in 2018, while Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS managed only 19 and one, respectively.

Following defections by Bersatu and PKR state assemblymen in 2020, BN paired up with Perikatan Nasional to rule Johor with a simple majority of 29 seats – which was reduced to 28 after Osman’s death.

Last October, in the Malacca polls, BN gained a sweeping two-thirds majority after winning 21 out of 28 seats. – January 28, 2022.