THE 68th PAS muktamar (general assembly) themed “Malaysia Sejahtera” (Prosperous Malaysia) that ended today passed 13 motions, including the unification of Malay-Muslim- dominated political parties in the next general election.

The motion put forward by the party’s Ulama Council is aimed at restoring the power of Malay-Muslim-centric political parties in the election. This includes continuing cooperation with Umno through the Muafakat Nasional (MN) alliance to ensure straight fights in the coming national polls.

Debating the motion, PAS Ulama Council delegate Roslan Md Isa said the party must unite Malay-centric political parties to prevent splits in Malay votes.

“The straight-fight strategy is also needed to avoid clashes between Malay-Muslim-dominated political parties. We also reject any political cooperation with Pakatan Harapan as well as the ‘big tent’,” he said.

The big tent idea refers to the approach of holding negotiations with other political parties as a strategy to win the general election.

A delegate from Taiping, Mahjube Hanafi, said PAS leadership should send an invitation letter to Umno’s top leaders to negotiate so that the straight-fight strategy in the next polls can be realised.

He said Umno’s votes are crucial in efforts to establish Malay-Muslim politics in the country, adding that the relationship between PAS and Umno at the grassroots level is cordial like “the locomotive and the coach”.

The muktamar also passed a motion pushing for PAS to lead the Islamic movement for the unification of the ummah across national and international borders, which was debated by PAS Youth Council delegate Mohd Hanif Jamaluddin.

Calling for the party to take advantage of the position held by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang as the prime minister’s special envoy to the Middle East, he said the motion was submitted following the crisis and challenges of the current political scenario.

Both motions were approved together with five other motions which were debated at the assembly, while six other motions were accepted unanimously, including the establishment of an act to control acts of provocation against Islam and a special committee to monitor MPs and state assemblymen from the party.

The muktamar was adjourned to next year, which will be hosted by Kelantan. – Bernama, September 4, 2022.