Top Umno and PAS leaders to meet behind closed doors for unity talks

PETALING JAYA: The top leadership of Umno and PAS will meet on Tuesday (March 5) at the Umno headquarters at Putra World Trade Centre in a first of its kind of a get-together to talk about unity.

Sources said that there would be 11 representatives from each party to lay out the views of Umno and PAS on the table before deciding whether to merge or only work in a loose cooperation.

According to an Umno source, the top leadership of Umno, including deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Youth Chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, will be among those leading the talks on behalf of Umno.

"There will also be supreme council members present," said the source from Umno.

PAS will also be represented by its top leadership, including deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan and vice-president Idris Ahmad.

The meeting is slated to begin at 2pm and expected to be a long drawn-out one, said the Umno source as there were many issues to be ironed out between the former-foes-now-turned-friends.

PAS sources said that they did not expect much from this meeting as it was the first one.

Umno and PAS have been working together in a loose cooperation in the by-elections that have taken place after the 14th General Election, citing issues of Malay and Muslim unity.

Last month, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the cooperation between Umno and PAS is not a political gimmick but a sincere collaboration for the sake of Islam, the Malays and the country.

After the wins by Barisan in Cameron Highlands and Semenyih, Umno and PAS have concluded that them working together can bear fruits to rattle ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan.