Current Umno leaders and members do not inherit the sins of the previous generation, making it appropriate for PAS to open a new chapter with the Malay party in the name of uniting the faith and of all things good, said the Islamist party's research director, Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki.

"If the present generation of leaders and members in Umno want to foster Islamic brotherhood, it would not do to recount past sins and transgressions that they did not commit," Malay daily Berita Harian reported him as saying today.

The research director explained that working together with Umno does not mean that PAS is going to join with the Malay party, instead it is coming together to uphold and defend Islam, as well as the general good of the public and the country.

He argued that when it comes to things that threaten Islam, or causes the the rakyat and the nation to lose out, it is PAS' responsibility to prevent such matters - including to correct Umno's conduct as the ruling party, so they do not continue in such a fashion.

Zuhdi said this when commenting on PAS' readiness to forgive and forget Umno's past transgressions.

Prior to this, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said that the Islamist party is ready to "forgive and forget" Umno's sins as it is part and parcel of the Islamic way of life.

Indeed, the Kota Baru parliamentarian said that to forgive and forget sins is always practiced by the party.

While Zuhdi admits that the relationship between Umno and PAS at one time was very adversarial, such that it led to many unwanted incidents, it is not so now.

He related that many of the past leaders involved in those incidents have long since passed, and even if they still yet live, they are no longer part of the Umno leadership.

"We should leave it to Allah to fairly judge past Umno leaders in the hereafter," he concluded.