UMNO and PAS will register Muafakat Nasional (MN) as an official coalition and face the 15th general election together.

In a statement, senior figures in the charter said the leadership had agreed to register MN officially under the Registrar of Societies (RoS).

“The leadership of both parties have agreed to register MN officially under the RoS,” read the statement, which was signed by Umno supreme council member Annuar Musa and PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.

MN also agreed for both parties to face GE15 together, with them strengthening their ties and machinery.

“The MN leadership has agreed to stick together and give commitment to strengthen co-operation and unity among the parties to prepare for the 15th general election,” they said.

It is unclear if Bersatu was included in this decision, after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had offered Bersatu the opportunity to join the charter.

“The MN consultation committee meeting scheduled for October 19 was postponed following the conditional movement control order (MCO) implemented in KL to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic,” they said.

The meeting – purportedly scheduled after Muhyiddin was said to no longer have the majority support in the Dewan Rakyat – was said to address disputes between Bersatu, Umno and PAS that were contributing to the ongoing political deadlock.

Umno had offered Bersatu the opportunity to officially join MN in August, an offer accepted by the party.

However, today’s decision does not include Bersatu.

This means when the next general election is called Bersatu will contest with other Perikatan Nasional parties, without the guaranteed backing of Umno or PAS.

It is also unclear if Umno’s Barisan Nasional allies, like MIC and MCA, will also follow suit and pull out of PN.

This move comes at the height of tensions between Umno and Bersatu, the latter party splintering off from the former in 2016.

Umno is mulling to either support or reject its political bureau’s decision on October 13 to reassess the party’s support for PN.

After the meeting, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the party was considering withdrawing its support and would come out with new terms if it decided to continue co-operating with Prime Minister and Bersatu chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.

Umno insiders told The Malaysian Insight the demands include a cabinet reshuffle, in which more pertinent portfolios are given to Umno leaders and, possibly, a demand the deputy prime minister be an Umno man.

Umno is also being courted by opposition leader and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, who intends to form a new government.

Last week, Anwar was granted an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, in which he told the king he had secured a parliamentary majority. – October 20, 2020.