PETALING JAYA: PAS’s cooperation with Umno is necessary to strengthen Malay Muslim political unity as divisions within the community put Islamic political influence in Malaysia at risk, says Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
The PAS president said disagreements among Malay Muslims had weakened their position and could result in the loss of political power if they failed to unite ahead of future elections.
“The weakness of democracy, together with divisions among Malay Muslims and widespread ignorance of religion and politics, has placed the country in a dangerous situation where Islamic political power could be lost.
“This situation has made it compulsory to pursue the unity of the Malay Muslim community together with non-Muslims who are not extremists,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (July 21).
Abdul Hadi added that PAS’ cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN) and previous political alliances was guided by the need to strengthen its position and protect Malay Muslim interests.
This includes PAS’s current cooperation with Umno, which he described as a party based on Malay Muslim leadership and that had historically worked with non-Muslim parties such as MCA and MIC.
“This begins with the unity of Malay Muslims together with Umno, which is based on Malay Muslim leadership alongside non-extremist non-Muslims such as MCA and MIC,” he added.
He said PAS’ approach was aimed at rebuilding Malay Muslim unity after years of political divisions between parties representing the community.
According to Abdul Hadi, this division had allowed other political forces to gain strength, creating concerns over the future position of Malay Muslims in the country’s political landscape.
The PAS president said the party’s cooperation strategy will be different depending on the political situation in each state, citing Johor and Negeri Sembilan as examples.
He said that in states such as Johor, where Umno was already strong, PAS contested symbolically mainly to provide support.
However, Negri Sembilan required a different approach as PAS sought to challenge the existing state government and strengthen Malay Muslim political representation.
“The state is governed by Pakatan Harapan together with what PAS describes as the dominance of the extremist DAP and Malays who have drifted away.
“Therefore, PAS will contest there as an attacking force, strategically positioning itself to take over Malay Muslim political power together with non-extremist non-Muslims,” he said.
Abdul Hadi also criticised Malay-based parties that continued cooperating with DAP, including PKR and Amanah, which he described as moving away from PAS’ political principles.
The PAS president said the party’s ultimate objective was to unite Malay Muslims and build cooperation with other communities to ensure political stability.
