PAS Muktamar to decide its cooperation with Umno for GE14

GEORGE TOWN: The 63rd Muktamar (assembly) will decide on whether PAS is going to cooperate with Umno for the coming 14th General Election (GE).

An Umno youth leader who spoke to theSun without wanting to be named said he feels his party “will surely” cooperate with PAS in the GE.

"How the cooperation is going to be is yet to be seen as both parties may agree to cooperate and engage in one on one fights against the opposition coalition (the present Pakatan Harapan),” he said.

Such a view is however not shared by all, even among the party leadership as Penang PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudeen told theSun there was no discussion to cooperate with Umno.

He said there was no meetings to discuss establishing political ties with the dominant party in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

“No its not true, no discussion with Umno,” he said.

Also on the table is the political cooperation between PAS and PKR, a party in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition front.

Although part of the Selangor government, calls to sever the “tahaluf siyasi” (political cooperation) with PKR have been
growing.

This can be seen after all 13 PAS divisions in Penang passed the same resolution calling upon the party to break ties with PKR.

If the motion is endorsed in the Muktamar, this may mean the collapse of the PH Selangor government.

theSun also reached out to University of Tasmania Asia Institute Director Professor James Chin who said the Muktamar will be vital for PAS president Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang to strengthen party unity and rally members for the elections.

He said PAS may decide to go alone in the GE but felt the party will not win the 80 seats they plan to contest.

Chin also felt the issue of severing ties with Umno would be left to the states to decide.

He said it is possible the Islamist party may sever ties with PKR but it is also possible the states will be allowed to decide for themselves.

Chin said the issue faced by PAS and their voters was that Abdul Hadi will support a Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak led BN as he did not want to see DAP in power.

“He hates DAP more than he hates UMNO, so PAS is left in the middle” he said.

The Muktamar from April 27 until May 1 will be held at the Dewan Ulama of Sekolah Rendah ISlam Ulum, Tandop, in Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah.

Proceedings will begin with the Dewan Pemuda (Youth wing) and Dewan Muslimat (Women wing) from Thursday while the general body will begin meeting on Saturday until Monday.