PAS has urged the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) to remain within Perikatan Nasional (PN), with party president P Punithan saying the appeal was made during a meeting that lasted nearly two hours on Thursday.
Punithan said the discussion, which was attended by PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and other coalition leaders, focused on the future direction of PN following PAS’s decision to end its political cooperation with Bersatu.
Meeting focused on coalition’s future
Describing the talks as positive, Punithan said both sides exchanged views on strengthening the coalition and ensuring its continued direction.
‘The meeting was positive. We discussed PN’s direction and ways to strengthen the coalition,’ he said.
He added that MIPP informed PAS it had received offers from outside the coalition but was encouraged to continue its role within PN.
MIPP to decide after central committee meeting
According to Punithan, MIPP will make a decision after holding discussions with its central committee on Sunday.
‘We have told them we will make a decision on Sunday after meeting with our central committee and they agreed,’ he said.
The developments come amid political uncertainty following the split between PAS and Bersatu, with PAS, Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional all making overtures to MIPP.
PN component parties discussing next steps
Earlier, PN information chief Annuar Musa said component parties would meet this week to discuss the coalition’s future direction.
He also said PAS remained committed to multiracial political cooperation and welcomed the continued participation of both MIPP and Gerakan within PN.
Gerakan has since reaffirmed its commitment to the coalition, saying it will continue to play a constructive role in strengthening PN.
