Pas to prioritise Umno, BN in GE16 negotiations

ARAU: Pas will prioritise Umno and Barisan Nasional over other political parties in any negotiations for the next general election (GE16).

Pas spiritual leader Datuk Hashim Jasin said the decision was made at a recent Syura Council meeting he chaired, which gave the central leadership a mandate to negotiate with any party, with Umno given priority.

He said the council believed bringing Pas and Umno together was not easy and that the opportunity should be fully utilised.

"Whoever Pas chooses to cooperate with, Umno must not be left behind.

"The unity between Pas and Umno must be preserved, and they must be prioritised in negotiations," he said when met yesterday.

Hashim added that unity between the two Malay-Muslim parties must be built on the interests of the Malays and Islam rather than political considerations.

He warned that alliances built solely for political survival would fail.

"The previous Muafakat Nasional charter served as the foundation, and now is the time to revive unity between both parties.

"Within Umno, we are seeing growing awareness of the importance of this unification," he said.

Hashim said Pas felt more comfortable cooperating with Umno than with other parties, adding that the people wanted unity between the two Malay-Muslim parties.

On the Melaka state election, he said Pas was prepared to contest under its own logo if Perikatan Nasional was unable to field candidates under the coalition banner.

"Pas will use its own logo, while Umno or BN can use theirs, but we will still work together in the state election.

There is no issue regarding the logo.

"As for seat allocations, it is up to the Pas central leadership to decide whether to give up our seats or not. What matters most is that negotiations with Umno remain the priority," he said.