PAS veep says party’s ulama council to decide future of Bersatu cooperation

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — PAS will leave any decision on its ties with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia to the party’s ulama council after receiving a full report from Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders, amid renewed tensions within the Opposition coalition.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said the Islamist party had yet to make any decision regarding its relationship with Bersatu, adding that the matter would first be studied by the council once a report was completed.

“At the moment, we are waiting for a report from the coalition leaders.

“Once the report is completed, it will be presented to the ulama council.

“We have to wait for the report to be finalised first,” he said today, according to The New Straits Times.

Mohd Amar, who is also the Panchor assemblyman, was speaking at a Hari Raya Aidiladha sacrificial programme organised by the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council in Kota Bharu.

He said the ulama council would scrutinise the report before deciding on PAS’ future cooperation with Bersatu within the PN coalition.

“Any decision will only come after the ulama council has fully reviewed the report,” he added, as quoted by the national daily.

His remarks come amid growing speculation over strains between PAS and Bersatu after reports emerged that PAS convened an emergency meeting on May 24 to discuss issues involving PN and its future relationship with its coalition partner.

The meeting in Kuala Terengganu was reportedly chaired by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and attended by senior party leaders.

The latest tensions surfaced after Hadi was reported as saying PAS would reassess its cooperation with Bersatu after a series of moves by Bersatu that PAS felt had undermined cooperation within PN.

The Marang MP reportedly described several of Bersatu’s moves as “unpleasant” towards PAS.

In response, Bersatu information chief Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz reportedly said the party would deliberate its ties with PAS at upcoming party leadership meetings.

The latest developments have fuelled questions over the stability of PN, which has increasingly faced internal strains despite remaining the main Opposition bloc against the unity government.

المصدر: Malay Mail