Umno-PAS unity not a merger, just election strategy, says Mat Hasan

Alfian Z.M. Tahir SM Amin Alfian Z.M. Tahir, SM Amin Updated 5 years ago · Published on 7 Mar 2019 8:45PM · 4 Comments

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan says the party's pact with PAS is not intended to sideline non-Malays and non-Muslims, but is only an election strategy. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, March 7, 2019.

UMNO acting president Mohamad Hasan said today that the party is not merging with PAS.

He said their formal cooperation – established two days ago with a technical committee tasked to explore collaboration – was merely an election strategy.

“We are not merging into one. Umno is not imposing our values on PAS and PAS is not imposing their values on us.

“Our cooperation is a strategy to face elections,” he said at a press conference after a meeting of the Umno Supreme Council at the Putra World Trade Centre today.

Umno also has no intention of neglecting non-Malays and non-Muslims, despite its cooperation with PAS, with a more conservative stand on Islam.

“Our unity is not intended to neglect the non-Malays or the non-Muslims. We have to be clear on this.

“It is a strategy to face election,” he repeated.

Mohamad said Umno’s strategy with PAS will be explained at a meeting of the Barisan Nasional leadership tomorrow.

He said his explanation will be aimed at persuading other BN component parties who still disagree with the strategy.

“We are having a BN meeting tomorrow and I will explain Umno’s latest move so that it can be accepted by our BN partners.

“And if it can be accepted, tomorrow it will not be just Umno-PAS and others, but BN-PAS. This can be a strategy to strengthen the party,” Mohamad said.

He said MIC was agreeable to having PAS work with BN but MCA still needed convincing.

PAS and Umno are have long been rivals for the Malay-Muslim vote but began making overtures to each other in recent years with Pakatan Harapan’s rise as an alternative government.

After PH won the federal government in the 14th general election last May, PAS and Umno have collaborated by supporting each other in by-elections, and intend to do so again in the next poll in Rantau, the seventh by-election since GE14. – March 7, 2019.

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Comments

  • This is Rantau talk only lah, nobody will buy your talk. The word of "Penumpang" from your mouth still sounds loud and clear.

    Posted 5 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • "Our unity is not intended to neglect the non-Malays or the non-Muslims" - Syariah-compliant lies!

    Posted 5 years ago by T E · Reply

  • Nothing new in Malaysia as we seen all our political parties from both sides team up as to meet their political objectives through marriage of convenience.

    Posted 5 years ago by Teruna Kelana · Reply

  • What then after winning the elections? PAS will be calling the shots as UMNO being beholden to them will just be their puppet on their strings. A vote for UMNO is basically a vote for PAS. Dont be mislead by this lopsided manoeuvring.

    Posted 5 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply