UMNO understands PAS’ intentions concerning the proposed political cooperation between the two Malay-Muslim parties, even if a formal agreement was not specifically mentioned by the PAS leadership, said Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Umno president said its present cooperation with PAS need not be classified as “political cooperation” or tahaluf siyasi, since both were part of the opposition now.

“We just need to see what was said between the lines. 

“I think the PAS leadership is sincere, even though they did not mention it specifically,” Zahid said, referring to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s policy speech at the party’s annual congress in Kuala Terengganu today.

“People in politics understand what is meant by cooperation when the PAS president speaks about it,” Zahid said after the congress.

Zahid and other Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders from MIC attended the congress, where Hadi declared that PAS was open to working with “everyone”, including BN and even its former allies in Pakatan Harapan.

Prior to the muktamar, there had been expectations that Hadi would here lay down a clear direction for PAS through a formal tie-up with Umno, but nothing has been said officially to that effect.

Last night, delegates at the PAS Youth congress rejected formal political cooperation with Umno.

While avoiding specific mention of political cooperation between Umno and PAS, Hadi today reiterated that any tie-up PAS makes with another party would be according to its principles and struggle to uphold Islam. – September 15, 2018.