PAS has decided to end its political cooperation with Bersatu, nearly three weeks after party president Abdul Hadi Awang accused the party of straining relations between the two allies.
The decision was made during a central committee meeting held at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night, where PAS leaders reviewed the future direction of their relationship with Bersatu.
PAS ends cooperation with Bersatu
In a statement, Hadi said the party leadership had thoroughly examined reports and assessments regarding its alliance with Bersatu before reaching a decision.
“The PAS central committee meeting today has decided to halt its political cooperation with Bersatu,” he said.
PAS will instead explore the formation of a new political pact to face upcoming state elections and the 16th General Election (GE16), with the objective of “uniting the ummah”.
Hadi also invited academics, professionals, political leaders and community activists to join the party.
On May 22, Hadi revealed that PAS was reassessing its relationship with Bersatu and did not rule out contesting GE16 without Muhyiddin Yassin’s party.
He cited several issues that had affected ties between the two parties, including efforts to remove the Perlis menteri besar, alleged interference in appointments involving Kedah and Kelantan, and Bersatu’s opposition to admitting new Malay-Muslim parties into Perikatan Nasional.
PAS remains in Perikatan Nasional
Despite ending cooperation with Bersatu, PAS remains a component party of Perikatan Nasional (PN) for the time being.
Central committee member Shahidan Kassim said Hadi’s statement did not mention the coalition’s status.
“So our existing position in PN remains,” Shahidan told reporters after leaving the PAS headquarters.
PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari also declined to comment on the implications of the decision for the opposition coalition.
“I don’t want to comment on that for now,” he said.
Fadhli likewise declined to disclose whether the decision to end ties with Bersatu had been unanimous.
Future political direction
The relationship between PAS and Bersatu has been under increasing strain in recent months.
On May 25, Muhyiddin sent a letter to PAS leaders rejecting Hadi’s allegations and defending Bersatu’s actions on the issues raised by the PAS president.
The developments also reignited calls for PAS to revive Muafakat Nasional with Umno, a major component of the unity government.
Last week, Hadi confirmed that PAS and Umno leaders had met during what he described as a “regular meeting”.
However, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the meeting did not involve discussions on reviving the previously dissolved cooperation between the two parties.
PN, which was jointly established by PAS and Bersatu in 2020, is currently led by PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
