KUALA LUMPUR: Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has criticised Pas for its recent suggestion of reestablishing cooperation with Umno, excluding its president.
"How can you agree to get married but reject your partner's father?" he quipped, likening the proposal to a conditional marriage.
He said that Umno had always been open to collaboration with any party.
He added that after the 15th General Election (GE15), the party was willing to negotiate with all parties.
However, any alliance must be built on mutual honesty and sincerity, said Asyraf.
Referring to the call from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for parties to unite and form a government post-GE15, he questioned why Pas and Bersatu were the only parties to refuse, while 19 others complied with the decree.
"The foundation of any collaboration is honesty and sincerity," he said.
Asyraf's remarks came in response to a statement by Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang at the 70th Pas Muktamar in Kerdau, Temerloh yesterday where Hadi said that Pas was still open to collaborating with Umno, though without involving its president, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Asyraf said when Umno and Pas were united under MN, Umno never betrayed the alliance.
He recalled meetings where Umno questioned Pas about secretive efforts to register Perikatan Nasional (PN) with Bersatu, which Pas denied in the media and in committee minutes.
"However, it later emerged that Pas had been quietly working with Bersatu to form PN," he said.
Muafakat Nasional was formed in 2019 to unite Pas and Umno in the face of the country's political crisis.
However, Pas eventually aligned with PN, despite pressure from Umno to cut ties with Bersatu ahead of GE-15.