Talk to Zahid if you’re sincere about rebuilding ties, Umno man tells Hadi

Umno vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail says any proposal on cooperation, including reviving MN, must involve discussions with the party president.

(FMT) – PAS must engage with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi if it genuinely wishes to re-establish cooperation with the party, says Umno vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

In a statement today, Wan Rosdy questioned the sincerity of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s proposal to re-establish Muafakat Nasional with Umno, while excluding Zahid from the discussions.

“Is he trying to divide Umno, which is growing stronger each day? Umno has its leader who guides the party and if PAS wishes to pursue any cooperation with Umno, it should be discussed with our president first,” he said.

“This is because Umno values the role of its president in determining the party’s direction.”

Wan Rosdy also said Hadi’s remarks reflect a focus solely on PAS’s interests rather than the broader goals of Malay and Islamic unity.

At the party’s 70th muktamar in Temerloh, Pahang, yesterday, Hadi said PAS would court Umno to join MN, as long as Zahid was not involved in any way.

Umno and PAS formed MN in 2019 as an electoral pact with the main aim of uniting the Malay-Muslim vote, but it collapsed after PAS chose to work with Bersatu, which Umno viewed as a betrayal.

Responding in jest, Wan Rosdy said Umno is always open to any discussion with PAS, but without involving Hadi.

“PAS should not only seek Umno out of desperation. In reality, during the MN period, PAS was not genuinely committed to working with Umno,”

he said, adding that he himself is not interested in any negotiations that sideline Umno’s leadership and create divisions within the party.

Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki also slammed Hadi for his plan to revive MN by excluding Zahid in discussions between the two parties.

“It’s impossible to tie the knot without accepting the father. A cooperation must be founded on honesty and sincerity, just like in a marriage,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.