BY-ELECTIONS in Selangor have proved that Umno and PAS are in collusion, said Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu, but the alliance would only push more Malay voters over to Pakatan Harapan.

“In Sungai Kandis, Umno contested and PAS stayed out to support Umno. In Seri Setia, PAS is contesting and Umno has pledged support for PAS. 

“In Balakong, PAS says it supports MCA because although the Chinese party is opposed to hudud, it has never attacked PAS,” said Mohamad at the Jelajah Malaysia Baharu roadshow in Alor Star, last night.

This defied logic, said the Amanah president who was formerly a leader in PAS .

“This shows that BN is no longer a 13-party coalition. Those who remain are MCA, MIC, Umno, and PAS.

“But this will only encourage more Malays to support the parties of PH.”

In the run-up to GE14, PH had alleged that Umno paid off certain PAS leaders to create three-cornered fights across the peninsula to reduce PH’s chances at winning.

The move appeared to have backfired as checks later showed PAS could have unwittingly played spoiler to BN instead in 24 seats, where the total votes for the two parties outnumbered the votes for PH, which might have been defeated if the votes had not been split.

Mohamad said that Umno had bought PAS leaders would be proven next year in the UK, where PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was suing Sarawak Report for defamation over a story alleging that the Islamist party had received money from Umno.

The case is due to be heard in London on April 1. Among the evidence the defendant has presented is a voice recording of PAS leader Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Aziz admitting he had accepted money from Umno. – August 26, 2018.