DESPITE overtures from Umno, Kedah PAS grassroots members are against working with the party’s traditional nemesis even as its top leaders warm towards each other.

In fact, PAS members believe that all the talk of both Malay Muslim parties working together for the 14th general election is slander by its opposition rival, Pakatan Harapan.

Kubang Pasu PAS grassroots leader Awang Ahmad said all the talk about an Umno-PAS pact emerged after the Islamist party stressed that it would continue campaigning for hudud, the Islamic penal code.

“This is all the work of DAP. They have never like PAS because we want to implement hudud. So, they create all sorts of stories,” Awang, 55, said.

“There is no question that it will never happen. We will never believe it. Our leaders and our president (Abdul Hadi Awang) will never betray the party.”  

PH has chastised PAS’ attitude towards Umno and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition it leads, after the Islamist party severed ties with DAP and PKR.

DAP and PKR were PAS’ partners in the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat coalition. After the break-up in 2015, PAS formed its own opposition coalition called Gagasan Sejahtera Rakyat.

DAP and PKR formed PH with Amanah and Bersatu.

Officially, PAS has repeatedly claimed that it is not in an electoral pact with Umno and that it will contest against Umno candidates in GE14.

But other aspects of the Umno-PAS relationship have sparked suspicions. For instance, its MPs abstained instead of joining PH to vote against BN’s 2018 budget in Parliament.

Hadi has shared the stage with Najib on at least two occasions. PAS has countered that DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has done the same with Najib and other BN ministers as Penang chief minister.  

On its part, Umno has mostly refrained from attacking PAS despite the fact that it will face it in almost all of its seats in GE14.

Since 2015, Najib and Hadi have never exchanged barbs and have reserved their most biting criticism for PH and its leaders, such as Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Lim Kit Siang.

Umno leaders such as information chief Annuar Musa have called for closer ties with the Islamist party.

Kedah Menteri Besar and BN chief Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah also hopes that there will be some form of cooperation with PAS.

Kuala Nerang PAS member Mohd Yusri said the two parties could come together only on broad issues affecting Muslims, such as the Rohingnya refugee crisis and Palestine.  

“But there shall be no cooperation in the political arena,” said Mohd.

Kedah PAS will field candidates in all 36 state and 15 parliamentary seats. It currently holds eight state seats.

Other PAS members however, are less hostile towards the idea of working with.

“If there really was cooperation, what’s wrong with it?” said Yusof Isa, a former Umno member who has been with PAS for the past 20 years.

“There is nothing wrong with Hadi being friendly with Najib. As Muslims, we don’t want them to be enemies. But if we look at PAS’ struggle, I don’t think it will happen,” said Yusof of Kuala Kedah PAS.

The 73-year-old also defended PAS’ reticence when it comes to criticising Umno.

“(Hadi) has said he wants to practise mature politics. He has spoken up against Umno but in a softer way.” – February 28, 2018.