An Umno Supreme Council member has firmly dismissed the idea of an alliance with PAS.
Puad Zarkashi warned that such a partnership would not only fail but also bring misery.
He said PAS has a pattern of joining coalitions enthusiastically only to withdraw swiftly later.
Past Alliances as Cautionary Tales
Puad pointed to previous pacts involving PAS, including Barisan Alternatif and Pakatan Rakyat.
He described these as now “dead and buried”.
In his view, it is only a matter of time before the current opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional meets the same end.
“If discussions revolving around an Umno-PAS pact are raised at the Supreme Council, I would be the first to shoot down the proposal. It is not a good idea,” he wrote on Facebook.
Concerns Over Exploitation
Puad further cautioned that PAS, if willing to exploit religion without hesitation, would not shy away from using Umno.
“PAS will use Umno only to gain power,” he said.
Recent Calls for Cooperation
His comments follow recent statements pushing for closer ties between the two largest Malay parties.
Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh last Saturday urged Umno and PAS to lead efforts in building Malay solidarity.
PAS election director Sanusi Nor had called for reviving Muafakat Nasional, the 2019 electoral pact between the two parties, as a platform for unity ahead of the next general election.
Sanusi emphasised that strong Umno-PAS relations are essential for political stability, particularly at the grassroots.
Other PAS leaders have also repeatedly floated the idea of bringing back the alliance.
