PAS-UMNO Cooperation Only to Oust Anwar, Using Malay Unity as an Excuse – Amanah

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) Youth believes that the current cooperation between PAS and UMNO is more focused on gaining political power, particularly to bring down Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Amanah Youth secretary Ahmad Shahir Mohd Shah said both parties appear to have a common understanding in pursuing that objective, but questioned how each party could maintain its position as a party with principles while defending its original ideals.

“Or are they only able to cooperate to gain power, and only after that discuss how things should be managed?” he said in a statement today.

Earlier, UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Barisan Nasional (BN) would not hand over any seat it had won to another party after BN secured 21 of the 28 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats in the 2021 Melaka State Election (PRN).

Based on an analysis by Ilham Centre, if parliamentary votes were broken down according to DUN constituencies, Perikatan Nasional (PN) would win 10 DUN seats, while BN would secure only four.

Ilham Centre was of the view that PN’s demand for more seats could pose a challenge to BN, which wants to defend all 21 seats it won in the 2021 Melaka State Election.

If BN insists on defending all 21 seats, only seven remaining seats would be left for PN to contest.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Shahir said the agenda currently promoted by PAS and UMNO revolves largely around Malay unity, but questioned which segment of the Malay community the two parties intended to unite.

“We do not know which segment of the Malays they want to unite. They are simply using it as political capital and as the basis for them to come together.

“These developments show that PAS and UMNO are more focused on building political strength and gaining power rather than clearly demonstrating the principles and original agenda they have long championed.

“Cooperation between PAS and UMNO should not be viewed merely as an effort to unite Malays, but rather as a political strategy to build a united front against Anwar and the government under his leadership,” he stressed.

Astro Awani