PAS Youth tonight rejected a motion that supported political cooperation between the Islamist party and its traditional rival, Umno.

At its annual congress in Kuala Terengganu, the wing’s delegates voted overwhelmingly in support of another motion that sought to amend an earlier one calling for political cooperation between the two Malay opposition parties.

The first motion was put up by the Kota Raja PAS Youth division, which called for political cooperation (tahaluf), instead of general cooperation for the sake of Islam (taawun), as it deemed the latter too informal.

It also called for the strengthening of PAS’ ties with Umno and Barisan Nasional according to clear principles and boundaries and through political appointments given to PAS members in BN-ruled states, Perlis and Pahang.

But the second motion, by a delegate from Tumpat, called for the original motion to be amended to remove political cooperation (tahaluf) and to delete the mention of strengthening ties with Umno and BN.

It did, however, accept a call for the Kelantan and Terengganu state governments, which are under PAS, to make political appointments from other parties in the Gagasan Sejahtera coalition, which PAS headed in the 14th general election.

The second motion by the Tumpat delegate was passed after 273 delegates voted in support for it, while 58 objected.

PAS Youth chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi said the Kota Raja Youth division had put forth its motion to clarify the party’s position on political cooperation so that PAS’ direction was clearer and more definite.

He said PAS was currently practicing informal cooperation with Umno for the good of Islam, Malays and the people in general (taawun).

“But in ‘taawun’, we are not in a pact. We do not have the preconditions we have when we are in ‘tahaluf’, a formal coalition as before when we were in Pakatan Rakyat,” Khalil told reporters after the youth congress ended.

He was referring to the now defunct coalition that PAS had formed with DAP and PKR as the opposition, before it parted ways and did not join Pakatan Harapan.

PAS and Umno-BN are now the opposition and are seeking to ramp up their cooperation, with the recent Seri Setia and Balakong by-elections part of this step.

Khalil described the Youth congress’ rejection of the initial motion calling for political cooperation between PAS and Umno as a “technical” matter and said he welcomed differences of opinion. – September 14, 2018.