If Umno is “committing incest” by having political cooperation with PAS, then Bersatu is akin to a “jealous widow trying to kill off her former husband”.

This tit-for-tat analogy was given by Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin in reply to a comment by Bersatu supreme council member Rais Hussin that the formal cooperation between Umno and PAS established yesterday was "incestuous".

Rais reasoned this was because the Islamist party had begun as a religious unit within the former ruling party.

In a statement, Khaled chided Rais for resorting to such an "offensive" analogy for the sake of political survival.

"Umno and PAS just started discussions on the public stage but Bersatu has gotten 'excited' enough to start visualising bedroom scenes.

"The cooperation between Umno and PAS is not incest. It is a new chapter in inter-party efforts to strengthen the (Malay) race.

"Rais' comment is unwise and shows Bersatu's chronic misunderstanding of the long-term Malay-Muslim political scenario in the country," said Khaled.

Khaled urged Rais to look at the bigger picture when talking about the political power of Malay-Muslims and the future of the Malay community.

"Don't ask why the unity (Umno-PAS) is only happening now. See and think about today's political reality.

"Today, the Malays and Muslims are losing their power and identity due to 'modernisation' in the political, economic and socio-cultural narrative. In fact, the Malays are being sidelined in their own land.

"Salaries are not going up, businesses are losing out and people with children are worried about the education of their young," he said.

'Sold her dignity'

The Malay way of life, thinking and identities are belittled since they no longer held political and economic power, Khaled further claimed.

Faced with such a situation, it was crucial for Umno and PAS to unite, he stressed.

"The Malays and Muslims have lost a lot from the previous split between the two parties. It is worthless if both parties are still emphasising on their differences in today's political scenario.

"This is the time for us to unite, for the sake of the race.

"Although some Bersatu supporters claim that (Bersatu chairperson Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) and (party president) Muhyiddin Yassin are the key holders to the Malay political consciousness, it is absolutely not true.

“The real key was held by Umno and PAS and not two individuals who have betrayed their own race by working with PKR and DAP, parties led by individuals they used to despise in the past," Khaled said.

"If I were to use the analogy like Rais, Bersatu is like the widow of Umno who has sold her dignity and is now sleeping with various men for the sole purpose of killing her former husband so that he cannot marry anyone else.

“What do you call that? A jealous widow probably. One thing for certain, a 'flower' (in reference to Bersatu logo) cannot be courted, let alone be married and the union consummated."