PAS can only consider working with Umno if the party cures itself of its "illness", said former information minister Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.

The former Umno stalwart said the Islamist party can choose between linking arms with Umno or opposition parties because it is an "anchor party" (parti tunjang) in Malaysian politics.

Having cooperation with an anchor party is crucial for any political parties aspiring to form government, he said.

In Malaysia, Umno and PAS are the anchor parties which represent 70 percent of voters, he said.

Speaking in metaphors, he said PAS thus can choose to enter into a room made up of opposition parties who need PAS, or another room which is filled with "serious illness".

"You can work with the other (room), but to work with it, you have to look at the serious illness. It has to be healed.

"Thus, it has to confess first, promise to recover from the illness and then we can consider working together," he said at the Kongres Rakyat rally in Selangor today.

Opposition parties are facing issues working together following the fallout of Pakatan Rakyat earlier this year.

DAP and PAS refuse to work together, and PAS does not want to be in a coalition which includes PAS splinter party Parti Amanah Negara.

PKR is hoping to broker a cooperation which involves both PAS and Amanah.

Earlier, PAS said it will honour cooperation with PKR and will not field a candidate in PKR-contested seats.

PAS MP Mahfuz Omar, however, questioned if the pact with PKR will remain following Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafar's defection from PAS to PKR.

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