MARANG: PAS considers the door to negotiations and reconciliation with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) to be closed.
According to Sinar Harian, party president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said Bersatu's decision to contest against Perikatan Nasional in the recent Negeri Sembilan state election was the main cause of the rift.
He added that statements by several Bersatu leaders expressing readiness to work with Pakatan Harapan ahead of the Melaka state election had further worsened the situation.
“Bersatu contested against us in the Negeri Sembilan state election.
“It also made statements that it wanted to join PH,” he said after delivering a Dhuha lecture at Masjid Rusila here on Friday (Aug 28).
Abdul Hadi, who is also Marang MP, was asked whether there was still room for the two parties to reconcile.
On June 8, PAS decided to end political cooperation with Bersatu following a special working committee meeting and a comprehensive assessment of the status and direction of relations between the two parties.
In the Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug 1, Bersatu contested under its own logo, claiming it had not been involved in seat allocation discussions with Perikatan.
In a related development, Bersatu Melaka information chief Hishamuddin Abdul Karim reportedly said the party was open to talks with any like-minded party, including Pakatan, ahead of the state election.
However, he said any electoral cooperation must exclude parties alleged to have betrayed the trust and spirit of cooperation built within PN.
PAS and Bersatu officially remain component parties of Perikatan.
On Aug 9, Perikatan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said Bersatu's position in the coalition was under review following reports made by several Bersatu MPs to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) regarding the legitimacy of the party's committee leadership.
He said Perikatan had taken note of the matter and would assess the extent to which Bersatu's leadership legitimacy was being challenged by the ROS.
