Seeing the light, Nazri apologises to Malays for having been a disbeliever
Nazri Abdul Aziz now believes that Umno and PAS should work together, an alliance which has proven successful in the previous two by-elections based on the narrative that Pakatan Harapan has failed to safeguard the interests of the Malays and Islam.
In the past, the BN secretary-general said he was opposed to this collaboration because the coalition was multi-ethnic.
"I have changed my mind. I have repented and I (now) fully support Umno's cooperation with PAS.
"I apologise to all Malays...
Nazri Abdul Aziz now believes that Umno and PAS should work together, an alliance which has proven successful in the previous two by-elections based on the narrative that Pakatan Harapan has failed to safeguard the interests of the Malays and Islam.
In the past, the BN secretary-general said he was opposed to this collaboration because the coalition was multi-ethnic.
"I have changed my mind. I have repented and I (now) fully support Umno's cooperation with PAS.
"I apologise to all Malays, be it PAS members or not, for stating in the past that (Umno) should not work with PAS because BN represents all ethnic groups," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.
In 2016, Nazri was reported as stating he was against an Umno-PAS alliance because BN would cease to be a coalition which represented all races.
At that time, Nazri pointed out that the Malaysian government was not only Malays but also other races including Chinese, Indian, Iban or Kadazan.
The end of multi-racial cooperation
Since the last general election, the once impregnable BN has witnessed its membership dwindle to three parties from the original 13.
At present, only MCA and MIC remain in the coalition formed in 1973. Both of them are considered politically insignificant with a single parliament seat each.
Umno and PAS have 38 and 18 parliament seats respectively.
Yesterday, the two parties moved a step closer towards a formal pact by holding their inaugural joint technical meeting.
The two parties intend to meet regularly to plan strategies, especially for by-elections.
It remains uncertain if lawmakers from both parties would be allowed to cross the floor in states under their control - Perlis, Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Nazri said with the cooperation of PAS and Umno at this time, the spirit of BN in representing the diversity of races and cultures was over.
"Prior to this, I prioritised racial and cultural diversity over my own race. Now I believe, for the sake of political survival, I have to prioritize Malays and Islam first, before the diversity of races," he said.
Nazri stressed that he supported Umno president Mohamad Hasan's efforts to build on cooperation with PAS, adding that he hoped Umno and PAS' relationship would last at least until the next general election.
He claimed that PAS was good at protecting minority rights.
"I am confident of this because PAS has ruled Kelantan for 25 years. I've never seen non-Muslims leaving the state," he added.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.