PAS not seeking to lead in cooperation with Umno, says Hadi

(FMT) – PAS is not seeking to be the leader in its cooperation with Umno even though several Youth and Ulama delegates are urging the party to take the lead, said Abdul Hadi Awang,

Speaking to reporters after officiating the party’s 65th muktamar today, the PAS president also did not rule out the possibility that a third party, that is neither Umno or PAS, could lead the way.

“PAS will not demand unless others ask us to lead, we talk about Islam leadership, not Umno or PAS, it could be a third party, politics is flexible.” he said.

Yesterday, Kedah PAS Youth delegate Nasrun Othman urged the party to take the lead in the cooperation with Umno.

On the cooperation with Umno, Hadi admitted that some members of both parties had fears of working with one another, though these could be overcome.

“It’s normal to be cautious, in PAS there are those with a phobia of Umno, in Umno there are those with a phobia of PAS,” he said.

As Muslims, Hadi said, both parties need to put the needs of the ummah (people) first.

“In the early stages, there was a feeling that old differences will resurface but we’ve overcome this.

“The people of Memali can also accept Umno because national interests take precedence over personal interests,” he said, adding that the political cooperation needed the support and involvement of all races.

The Memali incident of Nov 19, 1985 saw a massive police siege on a village in Baling, Kedah, which ended with 14 residents and four police officers killed.