PAS has made up its mind to go with Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional in the next general election.

The two parties announced this today in a joint statement following a meeting between party leaders  Muhyiddin Yassin and Abdul Hadi Awang’s yesterday.

“Bersatu and PAS will maintain its cooperation in Perikatan in GE15,” the statement read.

As the founding parties of Perikatan, Bersatu and PAS will set up a joint committee to decide the strategies and direction for Perikatan in GE15.

The statement was signed by secretaries-general Hamzah Zainuddin of Bersatu and Takiyuddin Hassan of PAS.

The statement comes after Umno demanded that PAS decide if it will stand with its Muafakat Nasional partner or Bersatu in the ruling coalition.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had told PAS that it was not too late to change its mind about joining PN. 

“Let’s not forget that we won seven by-elections together after the Muafakat pact,” Zahid said during his policy speech at the Umno general assembly on Sunday.

Zahid said the two parties had successfully put behind them six decades of acrimony to become allies on  September 14, 2019.

“But after joining the Perikatan National government (PAS) has changed its stance.

“Let me remind PAS that Umno had agreed to only (unofficially) support the Perikatan Nasional government. But little did we know that a new coalition named Perikatan Nasional would be formed without Umno,” Zahid said.

In their statement today, PAS and Bersatu said the decisions of the new joint committee would be presented to the PN supreme council for consensus among the component parties.

PN consists of Bersatu, PAS, STAR, SAPP and Gerakan.

PN would not be allying with Pakatan Harapan to form a coalition government post-elections, the statement said.

“Bersatu and PAS are committed to strengthening Muslim unity and will work with parties who support this concept.”  – March 31, 2021.