PETALING JAYA: Speculation over a possible revival of Muafakat Nasional does not appear to be fading, even as tensions within the unity government continue to simmer, particularly between Umno and DAP.
PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari fuelled talk of a renewed alliance by posting a cryptic teaser on social media.
“Wait for the emergence of Muafakat Nasional 2.0!” he wrote in a Facebook post at 6pm yesterday.
His remarks followed reports last week suggesting that PAS was sounding out both Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional on the possibility of reviving Muafakat Nasional, the Umno-PAS political pact formed in 2019.
However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reiterated on Friday that the unity government remains intact.
Amid the speculation, Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan said strained relations within the unity government were largely due to tensions involving DAP, calling on the party’s leaders to stop offending Umno members.
“The issue affecting Umno’s relationship in the unity government is DAP. Our party members are often triggered by statements or actions from certain DAP leaders,” he said at the open hall of Kampung Parit Dato Onn Api Api in Pontian yesterday.
He urged DAP leaders at all levels to be mindful of Umno members’ sentiments, warning that insensitive remarks could further strain ties between coalition partners.
Responding to questions on proposals for cooperation between Umno and PAS, Ahmad stressed that any such decision must go through the party’s established decision-making platforms.
“The matter must be brought to the Umno supreme council meeting, and the Umno general assembly is scheduled to take place this month. No unilateral decision can be made outside these structures,” he said.
DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong, however, rejected claims that DAP had been provoking Umno, saying neither the party’s leadership nor its grassroots had attacked Umno’s current leadership since the formation of the unity government.
“The only time issues arose was in response to rhetoric from the Umno Youth chief,” he said.
Woo said references to the imprisonment of a former prime minister over corruption charges were factual.
“The matter of a former prime minister being jailed for corruption is a fact that cannot be denied. Repeated denials or portraying DAP as an imaginary enemy will not change these facts,” he said, urging Umno to reflect internally rather than accuse DAP of provoking tensions.
