PAS MUKTAMAR | PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has affirmed that the Islamist party will not sacrifice its principles for the sake of any political cooperation that might lead the party to electoral victories. 

The Kubang Kerian MP said that while PAS welcomes the many parties that have approached it with pacts, the Perikatan Nasional component remains firm in its ideals based on Islamic teachings.

“We will not trade away the principles of our struggles merely for the sake of victory,” he said during a speech at a ceramah for the 72nd central PAS muktamar in Kota Bharu last night. 

“If it’s just about wanting to win (or) getting to Putrajaya, that’s not a difficult thing - join up with any party, regardless of halal or haram, regardless of sin or merit, regardless of whether they pray or don’t pray, regardless of how (such cooperation is) shaped.

“But PAS will not do that,” he stressed.

He further assured that before PAS entered any political cooperation, the party’s leadership, including its syura ulama council, would have extensively deliberated on the matter.

“Be confident that any political cooperation we enter into is not just about holding a meeting and then casually making a decision. 

“We examine it in detail one by one, we scrutinise it one by one, we check every aspect before submitting it for the council’s guidance,” he said.

‘PAS never lost out’

He asserted that such a framework has ensured that PAS never “lost out” in any of its previous political pacts, expressing confidence that the future holds more of the same success. 

“Together with Semangat 46 (under) Angkatan 46, we succeeded in taking Kelantan. Together with Barisan Alternatif and Pakatan Rakyat, we took control of Terengganu and Kedah. 

“God willing, we are confident that our cooperation with our strategic partners, BN-Umno, will benefit us together in taking over the administration of Putrajaya,” he declared.

The three coalitions cited by Tuan Ibrahim - Angkatan 46, Barisan Alternatif, and Pakatan Rakyat - were all opposition pacts built to unseat BN and its lynchpin Umno.

PAS has recently been pushing for stronger ummah unity by cooperating with Umno, framing the pact as a broader rallying of Malay-Muslim politics ahead of the 16th general election.