PAS has reiterated that only official member parties of Perikatan Nasional (PN) are permitted to contest elections under the coalition’s banner.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said no decision had ever been made to allow parties under Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR) to contest using the PN logo, contrary to a proposal put forward by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin ahead of the upcoming Melaka state election.
PAS rejects IPR participation under PN banner
Tuan Ibrahim said the matter had never been discussed at any official meeting and stressed that only PN component parties are allowed to use the coalition’s logo during elections.
“This issue has never been discussed in any official meeting, and we only allow members to contest using the PN logo.
“IPR’s component members are not part of PN, so how can we allow it? They have never applied to become component members of PN,” he said.
On Friday, Muhyiddin said parties within IPR could contest in the Melaka state election under the PN logo. He also claimed that these parties could negotiate with a “PN-level committee” regarding seats they wished to contest.
However, Tuan Ibrahim, who also serves as PN deputy chairman, denied the existence of such a committee.
Muhyiddin no longer holds decision-making authority
Meanwhile, PAS treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad said Muhyiddin no longer had the authority to make decisions on matters such as the use of the coalition’s logo because he is no longer PN chairman.
Muhyiddin stepped down from the position on Jan 1 and was succeeded by PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
Questions raised over IPR’s role
Commenting on IPR’s position, Iskandar described the coalition as an ad hoc platform established to discuss selected issues.
He said that if Muhyiddin wanted parties under IPR to contest using the PN logo, it would be preferable to allow the Reset team, led by Hamzah Zainudin, to contest under the coalition’s banner instead.
“Hamzah’s team appears to have stronger support,” he said.
