PERIKATAN Nasional (PN) will not gain from infighting among the ranks of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) ahead of state elections, Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub said.

He said damage would only occur if the top leaders of the coalitions became involved.

“In my 40 years of experience, I’ve not seen disputes involving party members affect preparations (for state polls),” Salahuddin told The Malaysian Insight.

“Statements from people who do not hold any important position in the party has minimal or no impact at all.”

Salahuddin, who is also the Johor PH chairman, gave an example of when internal squabbles had an impact – when Dr Mahathir Mohamad decided to work with Anwar Ibrahim and again when they parted ways.

Another example was when PAS and Semangat 46 teamed up to face BN back in the 1990s. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the then leader of Semangat 46 had donned Kadazan headgear which had a pattern resembling a cross, he said, adding that Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (APU), made up of PAS, Semangat 46 and several other parties, had lost to BN in the 1990 general election.

“It shows that damage can only occur when a leader fumbles,” he said.

Salahuddin was responding to DAP’s Tony Pua who had called BN a corrupt coalition.

The comment drew criticism from both Umno and DAP, which had disowned the remark, calling it Pua’s personal opinion.

Umno reacted by sending a note of protest to the DAP top leadership. Its secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki urged DAP leadership not to name the Pua, a former Damansara MP, as a candidate in the Selangor elections.

Meanwhile, Salahuddin, who is the Pulai MP, said PH has more than enough experience to counter PN’s fear-mongering using race and religion.

The  domestic trade and costs of living minister said that baseless claims could be corrected with clear narratives.

“We are used to this. The same issues – religion, race and creed – are being repeated. It is the same baseless accusations.

Anwar Ibrahim’s government has been accused by PN leaders of sidelining Islam and the Malays.

Recently, former Kedah PAS Dewan Ulama deputy chief Syeikh Zainul Asri Mohd Romli said only PAS and PN are “with God” while the other political fronts are enemies of God.

PH media bureau chief Muhammad Yahaya filed a police report against Zainul on Sunday at the Dang Wangi police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. – June 28, 2023.