PAS hasn't talked to us about reviving Muafakat Nasional with Umno, says Bersatu info chief

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS has never held discussions with its Perikatan Nasional partner Bersatu about re-establishing cooperation with Umno under Muafakat Nasional, says Datuk Razali Idris.

The Bersatu information chief said that if PAS wants to resume working with Umno, the matter must be brought up for discussion at the highest levels of the coalition's leadership.

"We never talked about that. Whatever it is, this is a matter that must be decided at the level of the supreme councils of both parties and Perikatan," said Razali.

"So far, we have not received any proposal or invitation to cooperate," he added when speaking to an online daily.

Meanwhile, Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin said Muafakat Nasional no longer exists and the party's focus is now with the unity government to develop the country until the 16th General Election (GE16).

"Muafakat Nasional is gone. We (Umno) are with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to fight corruption and tackle poverty in the country," he said.

He said any effort pertaining to Muafakat Nasional should be referred to its president Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who had already registered it as a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

It was said that PAS did not want to close the door on cooperating with Umno to revive Muafakat Nasional despite being told to "close the book" on it by Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

Muafakat Nasional was formed by PAS and Umno in September 2019 when Pakatan Harapan was governing the country. Its aim was to unite the Malay-Muslim community or ummah.

Bersatu was invited to join after it left Pakatan Harapan, but did not formally enter the alliance.

In December 2022, Annuar announced that Muafakat Nasional was no longer a political grouping but a non-governmental organisation.