Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not need to kiss the feet of PAS leaders, but respect the party's stand if he wants to establish cooperation, said PAS syura council member Khairuddin Aman Razali.

"Indeed one of the failures that derailed Pakatan Rakyat was when DAP and PKR did not learn to respect each other's political stand.

"This is important to create harmony, But what is clear is that Mahathir is more prone to attacking PAS, just like DAP," Khairuddin told Malaysiakini.

He was responding to Mahathir's statement yesterday that the deadline given to PAS to decide whether they would join Mahathir's anti-BN grand opposition coalition is firm and final, as all had been done to court the Islamic party.

"What else can we do. I don't want to crawl and kiss the feet of PAS leaders," the former premier had said.

Commenting further, Khairuddin, who is also Kuala Nerus MP, said that PAS had explained its stand and the ball is now on Bersatu's court.

"PAS has clearly stated its stand that it will not work together with DAP and Amanah, Mahathir must respect that.

"If he doesn't agree, Bersatu can go ahead with Pakatan Harapan, PAS will not stop them," he added.

'Mahathir mudah lupa'

Meanwhile, PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan criticised Mahathir for forgetting that PAS was Umno's rival, citing Mahathir's own poem "Melayu Mudah Lupa (Malays forget easily)" written 12 years ago.

"PAS had fought with Umno even when Mahathir led the party (Umno). If not PAS, who else fought Umno during his 22 years of premiership?

"He used to say 'Melayu mudah lupa', I am throwing back the words at him," the Temerloh MP told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Nasruddin was responding to Mahathir accusing PAS of being in cahoots with Umno and is avoiding joining with other opposition parties in opposing the Malay party and the BN ruling coalition that it dominates.

Mahathir issued the one-month ultimatum on Feb 11, although talks between between Bersatu and PAS are supposed to be ongoing. The first meeting between the leadership of the two parties was held on Feb 1.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang however, told Mahathir not to wait for one month, as the Islamic party declined to cooperate with any party that has ties with DAP.

Losing patience, Mahathir then warned that PAS would be the biggest loser if it entered the general election battlefield by itself.

At the press conference today, Nasrudin stressed the importance of PAS and Gagasan Sejahtera, the third bloc led by PAS, with regard to the general election.

"Nobody can underestimate Gagasan Sejahtera. They slam PAS all the time through their statements and actions. But (on the other hand) they just continue to persuade us into working with them.

"If PAS is a mosquito party, I think they will ignore PAS," he said.