Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein said today the opportunity for Umno and PAS to forge cooperation in the name of Malay unity will pass if the two parties are not serious about it.

He said the opportunity would be hijacked by groups or parties intent on frustrating such effort, as was the case in the past.

NONE "Sometimes, politics, personal agenda and ego would come into play, creating a mix of politics and polemics," he told a news conference today.

Hishammuddin ( right ), who is the home minister, was commenting on the statement made by the Mufti of Perak, Harussani Zakaria, that some leaders from Umno and PAS had met with him and sought his opinion on how to unite the two parties.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said Umno was open to having discussions with PAS on Malay unity, but such talks must be held without any precondition.

‘Sincerity is vital’

Hishammuddin said sincerity would be the key factor in forging unity in a bid to strengthen the Muslims in the country.

"Sincerity is vital if we want discuss about the future of the ummah ...we cannot be in a situation where we want have a discussion but at the same time, continue to criticise each other," he said.

Earlier, Hishammuddin opened the 13 th Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy Associates (FBINAA) Asia Pacific Conference aimed at discussing international cooperation to tackle terrorism and human trafficking in the region.

About 200 participants are taking part in the five-day conference. FBINAA has 17,000 members comprising law enforcement professionals from all over the world.

– Bernama