KUALA LUMPUR: Pas is prepared to negotiate with Umno on fielding a single candidate from either party to face the Sungai Kandis by-election on August 4.
Pas information chief Nasrudin Hassan said the party was of the opinion that the best strategy to take on PKR in the by-election was through a straight fight.
“It doesn’t matter who contests..it can be either Pas or Umno. If they ask us to field a candidate then others must co-operate and work with us to fight against them (Pakatan Harapan).
“On the other hand we will also support Umno if they want to face-off with PKR,” he said.
He said this when asked to comment on Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that Umno was ready to talk with Pas on the possibility of a straight fight in the seat.
Asked if Pas was ready to help the Umno machinery if the candidate was from the party, Nasrudin said the only thing which mattered was victory.
“The issue here is that we must have a strategy to defeat any Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate who stands in the election.
“If we manage to do that it will be a strong signal to the government on how the people feel about the way the country is being run after PH formed the government,” he said.
The Sungai Kandis state seat fell vacant after its assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei from PKR died on July 2.
In the last general election, Mat Shuhaimi won the seat with a majority of 23,998 votes.