IT’S not too late for PAS to turn back after joining the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, said Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“Let’s not forget that we won seven by-elections after the Muafakat pact,” said the Umno president during his policy speech at the 2020 general assembly in PWTC today.

Zahid, who was seated in the same row with former president Najib Razak and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, said that despite the six decades of acrimony, both parties had set aside their rivalry to sign the Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact on September 14, 2019.

“But after joining the Perikatan National government, (PAS) had changed its political stance.

“Let me remind PAS that Umno only agreed to support the Perikatan Nasional government. But little did we know that a new coalition named Perikatan Nasional would be formed without Umno,” said the 68-year-old.

He said that Umno and PAS had initially agreed in MN not to join any political coalitions hastily.

“Umno is firm on this. And hence, it is not too late to come back to the Muafakat pact. We must be steadfast in this, as it will not benefit either Umno or PAS.

“We believe that the Muafakat will be supported and will allow Umno and Barisan Nasional to come back to lead the country again,” said Zahid.

Zahid’s message to PAS echoed what Deputy President Mohamad Hasan and Umno Youth chief Dr Aysraf Wajdi Dusuki said yesterday.

Both leaders urged PAS to choose between Bersatu and Umno ahead of the next general election.

“We want PAS with us, but that is not our decision to make. It is PAS who must decide,” Mohamad told reporters on yesterday.

PAS has made it clear that it wants to keep both its alliance with Umno in MN and its membership in the PN coalition with Bersatu.

Umno, meanwhile, has declared that it will be withdrawing its support for PN when Parliament is dissolved and that it will not be working with Bersatu in the election.

Mohamad, who is Rantau assemblyman, said PAS would only be able to retain its Malay seats on the east coast if it worked with Umno and BN.

“It’s not a matter of fear… it is simply more beneficial for PAS to be with BN.

“PAS has a better chance of winning the Malay contests together with us.” – March 28, 2021.