KOTA BARU: Pas is ready to work with any political party to face Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election, including Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Parti Pribumi).
Its vice-president, Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, however, said Pas would not cooperate with DAP or Parti Amanah Negara (PAN).
“We can cooperate with any party that wants to bring down BN, except DAP and PAN. The reasons for rejecting cooperation with either party are clear.
“DAP has shown it is anti-Pas while PAN (which was formed by former Pas leaders) are traitors,” he said after attending the 18th Convocation of Kolej Islam Sultan Ismail Petra (Kias) here yesterday.
Amar was commenting on a recent statement by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in which he said Parti Pribumi would discuss with Pas and PKR on the allocation of seats for the 14th General Election to ensure a one-to-one fight against BN.
Amar, who is also Kelantan deputy menteri besar, said Pas had not been contacted by Parti Pribumi.
“If there is an official request, it has to be discussed by the Pas central leadership. Also, it is up to Parti Pribumi to decide if it wants to cooperate with other parties at the same time. It doesn’t concern us.”
He said he was confident that Pas would retain Kelantan in the next general election if PAN and Parti Pribumi decided to contest against the Islamic party.
“There is a possibility that we will gain more seats or even lose some. We have made our calculations but nothing is certain.”
Pas holds 32 seats in the 45-seat state assembly, with its ally PKR holding one. The remaining 12 seats are held by BN.
In Kuala Lumpur, PAN said it hoped to improve its relations with its former comrades in Pas despite both parties engaging in mudslinging for more than a year.
Its secretary-general, Mohd Anuar Mohd Tahir, said some Pas members had “cooled down”, adding that Pas and PAN could not remain enemies forever.
“We have to remain civil, and I believe our relations will improve. We have to be positive about this. Otherwise, we will never mend our relations,” he said at PAN headquarters yesterday.
Anuar said PAN, a fledgling Islamic party that was founded last year, respected Pas as an organisation with more than 60 years’ experience in politics.
“PAN may be only a year old, but we are willing to cooperate as long as we share the common aim of fighting for the good of the people.”
PAN communications director Khalid Samad said there was no need to appoint Muhyiddin, who is Parti Pribumi president, as the new opposition leader.
He said PAN supported Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the head of Pakatan Harapan.
“We have no qualms about Dr Wan Azizah being the opposition leader. As to whether another leader should be appointed, PAN does not get to decide alone.
“The matter will be decided together (with the Pakatan Harapan leadership). I believe a consensus must be reached before deciding to choose a new opposition leader.
“There are many leaders with potential. We will look at the outcome of the next general election.”
Khalid, however, said PAN would not reject Muhyiddin if he was nominated and appointed as the opposition leader.