Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz has dismissed PAS’ allegations that Bersatu downplayed the Islamic party’s role in exploring political change and opposed the admission of new Malay-Muslim parties into Perikatan Nasional (PN).
In a Facebook post, Tun Faisal described the accusations as unfounded and argued that PAS was responsible for the issues it had raised.
Tun Faisal disputes PAS’ account of party admissions
Tun Faisal claimed PAS itself had objected to the admission of Malay-Muslim parties into PN, contradicting assertions made by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
He said decisions made by the PN Supreme Council were reached through consensus and alleged that PAS representatives on the council had opposed the inclusion of Pejuang in the opposition coalition.
He also claimed that PAS did not agree to allow Pejuang to contest in states under its influence.
According to Tun Faisal, it was PAS, not Bersatu, that opposed Pejuang contesting in certain states and later directed the party to field candidates in Selangor.
Electoral pact and Malay-Muslim cooperation
Tun Faisal further accused PAS of misunderstanding the concept of the electoral pact approved by the PN Supreme Council for parties seeking to join the coalition.
He questioned whether such an arrangement should be interpreted as rejecting cooperation with other Malay-Muslim parties or hindering Malay-Muslim unity.
He also alleged that PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had prevented those parties from establishing an electoral pact with PN and suggested that Abdul Hadi had received inaccurate information.
The remarks followed Abdul Hadi’s statement accusing Bersatu of diminishing PAS’ role in exploring political change and making a fool of the party by objecting to the admission of new Malay-Muslim parties into PN while explaining PAS’ decision to sever ties with Bersatu.
Bersatu defends inclusiveness within PN
Tun Faisal said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had adopted an inclusive approach by inviting numerous political parties, including MIC, to participate when proposing the establishment of PN.
He added that Muhyiddin later invited 10 parties to join the loose coalition that became known as Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat and questioned whether PAS had demonstrated a similar level of inclusiveness during its history.
Tun Faisal also rejected claims that Bersatu had weakened PAS’ role in exploring political change, noting that PAS representatives held key leadership positions within PN, including chairman, secretary-general, treasurer and information chief.
He went on to criticise PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, alleging that the coalition’s internal affairs had not been effectively managed.
According to Tun Faisal, several internal issues remained unresolved during Samsuri’s first 100 days in office and decision-making had been slow because of his lack of responsiveness.
