PETALING JAYA: PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has dismissed claims that the party's electoral cooperation with Barisan Nasional is merely "political theatre".
He said members of both PAS and Umno were spending their own money and contributing their time and energy to campaign in the Negri Sembilan election.
"It is not political theatre. We are spending money," he said when asked about the cooperation between the two parties during the campaign.
"PAS members are going out and bearing their own expenses and contributing their energy. Umno members are doing the same," he said this when met by reporters after delivering a kuliah duha at Masjid Rusila in Marang on Friday (July 24).
Abdul Hadi said PAS hoped its renewed cooperation with Umno would last, despite the two parties' history of forming and ending political partnerships.
"We hope it will last. We hope it will last for a long time. We want to save the country," he added.
He said differences between PAS and Umno were primarily over their respective approaches, with PAS founded on Islam and Umno championing the Malays.
"PAS is based on Islam, while Umno is based on the Malays. The Malays and Islam cannot be separated.
"We differ only in our approaches. On corruption, there should be no disagreement," he said.
Asked whether Umno's emphasis on Malay supremacy could be reconciled with PAS' Islamic agenda, Abdul Hadi said the differences could be resolved.
Abdul Hadi said religion and politics could not be separated in Islam, arguing that Islamic principles would prevent a government from acting unjustly towards others.
"In Islam, religion and politics cannot be separated. Policies come from religion because the government must not act unjustly," he said.
PAS and Barisan are cooperating electorally in the Negri Sembilan polls, with both sides agreeing to campaign for each other's candidates in their bid to wrest control of the state from Pakatan Harapan.
