KUALA LUMPUR: Umno will most likely cooperate with PAS in the upcoming Sungai Kandis by-election, said Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa (pic).
"At the moment, we will work together on a case by case basis on the principle of cooperation. The new political landscape seems to be helping us get closer to one another.
"The next one (cooperation) will probably be the by-election," he told reporters when met at Parliament lobby on Wednesday (July 18).
According to Annuar, Umno would first test the waters on a collaboration with PAS at the current Selangor state assembly sitting, where the two parties would work together on several common issues.
"We sit down and discuss. Sometimes we differ, sometimes we come into agreement," he added.
However, Annuar said Umno isn't in a hurry to start cooperating officially with PAS.
"We have a long way to go. Most importantly, we maintain an 'open' attitude with Opposition parties.
Annuar also said that cooperation isn't only limited to Opposition parties, as Umno is willing to work with parties within the ruling coalition and the Government on issues concerning the people.
"Let's say if Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, a minority component party in the Government needs our support, we will support them if it's beneficial to the people.
"We don't have to...simply oppose for the sake of opposing. This is 2018. You cannot be a sore loser," he said.
On Tuesday (July 17), PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had said that his party would not be joining forces with Umno.
"We will not be joining Umno," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.
However, PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan was reported on July 13 as saying that the party was prepared to cooperate with Umno on fielding a single candidate from either party for the Sungai Kandis by-election on Aug 4.
"If PAS was asked to place a candidate, all Opposition parties should work together to defeat Pakatan Harapan's candidate."
If Umno fields a candidate in the by-election, Nasrudin said PAS is willing to assist Umno's election machinery.
Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has also said that his party was ready to talk with PAS on the possibility of arranging a straight fight against Pakatan Harapan for the seat.
The by-election was called after PKR's incumbent assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei passed away on July 2 due to lymphoma cancer.
Nomination is set for July 21 and polling will be on Aug 4.
In GE14, Mat Shuhaimi got more votes than the Umno and PAS candidates combined.
He won the seat by garnering 23,998 votes, defeating Umno's Datuk Kamaruzzaman Johari (who got 11,518 votes), PAS' Mohd Yusof Abdullah (7,573 votes) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM)'s Hanafiah Husin (76 votes).
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