Amid PN debate, Umno and PAS steam ahead with Muafakat Nasional
While it is not yet clear if Perikatan Nasional (PN) will be formalised for the 15th general election, Umno and PAS are steaming ahead with their Muafakat Nasional alliance.
Yesterday, state Umno and PAS leaders descended on the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur to hammer out a joint structure in all states and parliamentary constituencies.
While it is not yet clear if Perikatan Nasional (PN) will be formalised for the 15th general election, Umno and PAS are steaming ahead with their Muafakat Nasional alliance.
Yesterday, state Umno and PAS leaders descended on the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur to hammer out a joint structure in all states and parliamentary constituencies.
The briefing was attended by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan and PAS vice-president Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.
Malaysiakini understood that the closed-door meeting to discuss the combining of Umno and PAS machinery is in preparation of the 15th general election.
Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, in a Facebook post, hailed the formation of the Muafakat Nasional joint committee following last night's meeting.
"The main Umno and PAS leaderships representing the states had gathered at PWTC to realise the formation of the Muafakat Nasional committee in every state and division across the country," he said.
Asyraf (above) said it should have happened five months ago but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"May the establishment of the committee help strengthen our mutual understanding and the consensus (between Umno and PAS), not only at the top level but also at the grassroots level," he added.
The Muafakat Nasional pact between Umno and PAS was formally unveiled on September 14 last year.
The pact was to help the then opposition parties consolidate strength against Pakatan Harapan which pulled off a surprise win in the 2018 general election, ousting Umno and BN which had ruled since independence.
However, BN and PAS suddenly found themselves back in power after the Harapan government collapsed in late February following Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin's decision to pull his party out of the coalition.
Muhyiddin was sworn in as the new prime minister on March 1 after former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad refused to lead a new coalition the former put together comprising Bersatu, PKR defectors, BN, PAS, GPS, PBS and STAR.
Muhyiddin (above) had been working to formalise the PN coalition so that its component parties can contest under the platform in the next general election.
Umno supreme council member Annuar Musa, on July 2, made a surprise announcement that Umno and PAS will in principle support Muhyiddin as the prime ministerial candidate in the next polls.
However, this courted protest from some Umno leaders who believe Umno and PAS can win an election without having to make concessions to Bersatu.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today sought to diffuse the arguments, stating that Umno should not be dragged into the prime ministerial candidate debate and instead focus on serving the people.
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