The Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has signaled its readiness to collaborate with the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, pending approval from PN’s top leadership.
PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin stated that, in principle, the party does not oppose cooperating with any political group except the Democratic Action Party (DAP).
“For this cooperation to materialize, it must undergo further deliberation at the coalition’s highest level,” Hashim was quoted as saying in a report by Utusan Malaysia.
He added that PN remained open to welcoming additional parties to strengthen the coalition ahead of Malaysia’s next general election.
On Saturday, MIC president S.A. Vigneswaran announced the party’s willingness to engage in talks with other political entities, while deputy president M. Saravanan said MIC’s future direction would be decided at its annual general meeting in October. Saravanan previously remarked that MIC felt like an “unwanted guest” in the current administration, citing the absence of government appointments.
Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, however, asserted that MIC’s interests would be better safeguarded by remaining within BN.
Meanwhile, Free Malaysia Today reported that Balachandran G. Krishnan, information chief of PAS’s non-Muslim supporters’ wing, expressed readiness to renew ties with MIC — a partnership previously seen during the administrations of Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Hashim, who previously served as Member of Parliament for Arau, reiterated PAS’s rejection of joining the current “unity government,” even if offered a deputy prime minister position.
His comments came in response to remarks by Maszlee Malik, a member of PKR’s central leadership council, who suggested that PAS might benefit from backing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, where such a role could potentially be extended.
“We will not join the unity government as long as DAP remains part of it. Our past experiences with DAP have been overwhelmingly negative,” Hashim said.
He added that, despite rejecting the unity government, PAS remained open to discussions with UMNO.
“Cooperation with UMNO has never been off the table. We have always kept the door open for negotiations,” he said.
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