Don’t rush to cut ties with PAS, says Khairy

(FMT) – Umno should not rush to cut ties with PAS by withdrawing from Muafakat Nasional (MN), said former Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin today.

He said even though he was once a sceptic, he now feels that the suggestion for the party to withdraw from MN must be studied more carefully.

In an interview with Umno Online on his duties as health minister and other matters, Khairy said that even though the party had succeeded when it went solo for the Melaka state elections in November, it is not certain that the same can be replicated in other states.

“In Melaka, it was a gamble to go solo (without PAS). This was under Tok Mat‘s directions,” he said, referring to Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan.

“And in the end we succeeded, and won. But in other states, we are not sure yet whether or not we would need MN or if we can go solo.

“It is best that we study this properly first. Don’t rush to cut ties with PAS because we have invested a lot in MN.”

Several Umno leaders have called for the party to reconsider its ties with PAS, which allied itself with Umno in the MN partnership in 2019 as a pact to go against Pakatan Harapan, following a land controversy involving the Malaysian Rubber Board.

Among the critics were Johor Umno deputy head Nur Jazlan Mohamed who in June had said PAS will most likely be a liability at the next general election. Some leaders had also pointed to the past failures of PAS in governing Kelantan and Terengganu.