PAS and Umno need not merge said a senior official of the Islamist party, amid renewed calls for the two to unite to form a single, large Malay-Muslim entity.

PAS research director Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki said it was better for the two parties to be equally and individually strong so that they can provide for each other check and balance.
 
“PAS and Umno both account for 75% of the Malay vote. So I don’t think PAS and Umno can be together,” Zuhdi said, at a forum on the future of Islam under Pakatan Harapan, in Shah Alam, last night.

 “Let us be a check to each other. Now that PAS is in government in Kelantan and Terengganu and Umno is the opposition, let Umno watch and criticise us.

“The same applies in Pahang and Perlis (where Umno is in control). Let us be the opposition who will constructively criticise.”

“Any decision on a merger can only be made at the PAS muktamar (annual general assembly)”.  

Zuhdi was responding to a question from the audience on whether Umno and PAS could merge and form a large, Muslim-Malay party.    

The former lecturer said that if that were to happen, he would leave PAS to form a new opposition party to check the new PAS-Umno entity.

On May 9, Barisan Nasional lost the general election for the first time since national polls were held. Umno lost most of the states, including Johor, its birthplace and hitherto its fortress, and is left with 51 parliamentary seats and control over only Pahang and Perlis.

PAS, meanwhile, has 19 seats in Parliament, most of which are in the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu. It also controls both state governments.

Although there have been repeated calls for both parties to merge, they have so far worked together on an ad-hoc basis. 

The latest example of their cooperation is the Sungai Kandis by-election,which PAS is sitting out in order to give BN and Pakatan Harapan a straight fight. – July 22, 2018.