Takiyuddin - PN, BN may work together to form govt after GE15

GE15 | Perikatan Nasional (PN) may work with BN to form the government after the 15th general election (GE15), said PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, adding that BN will most likely accept such cooperation.

“I am confident that we can form the federal government, be it alone or by combining with other parties, including BN. What is certain, we will not accept Pakatan Harapan, even in the form of cooperation.

“PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang previously said that if we cannot cooperate before GE15, maybe we will work together after GE15,” the outgoing energy and natural resources minister told reporters after a ceramah session in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, last night.

“Our first reference is BN. Although there have been no talks made during the campaigning period, we are confident that BN would accept.”

No clear majority prediction

He noted findings by political analysts that no party would win a simple majority of 112 parliamentary seats to form the government, thus rousing the need for inter-coalition cooperation.

Takiyuddin’s latest remark seems to be in contrast to the stance taken by PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin, who back in September, declared an “open war” against BN.

According to Muhyiddin then, the fact that BN is the “main enemy” in facing GE15 was agreed upon by all PN component parties, which includes PAS.

However, two days later, Takiyuddin rejected Muhyiddin’s war cry, saying that PAS would not accept the stance of anyone who labelled a Malay-Muslim group as their “main enemy”.

PAS and Umno were former allies in the Muafakat Nasional pact. Up to the 11th hour prior to Parliament’s dissolution, PAS maintained the need to work with both Umno and Bersatu, which is part of PN, for the sake of Malay-Muslim unity, before eventually sticking with PN.

Meanwhile, the PN candidate for the Ketereh parliamentary seat, Khlir Mohd Nor, urged BN supporters who liked their incumbent MP Annuar Musa to vote for him (Khlir).

This, he said, is to send a clear signal to BN that not retaining Annuar, who is the Ketereh Umno chief, to contest in GE15, is a "big mistake".

"I have met with 80,000 voters in the Ketereh parliamentary constituency. I found that they all love their incumbent MP.

"Therefore, I ask them to vote for me this Saturday, if they love Annuar," he said during his speech at the ceramah.

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