PN won’t stop PAS from boosting ties with Umno, says Muhyiddin

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today said that his coalition would not stand in the way of PAS’ efforts to maintain its cooperation with Umno and the Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact.

He said PN would take no action as PAS had adhered to the principle of unity among the ummah.

“It is PAS’ effort,” he said, adding that whether or not it would bear fruit remained to be seen.

“Judging by the statements from Umno, including its president, the party believes that MN’s time is over,” he said at a press conference after chairing a meeting of the National Recovery Council in Putrajaya.

Yesterday, PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar was reported as saying that the Islamist party would continue defending its relationship with Umno, as the unity of the ummah was more important than the survival of any individual political party.

Samsuri, who is the Terengganu menteri besar, also said that PAS would always strive to ensure that the party and MN continued working for the country’s political survival.

Muhyiddin said that as PN’s leader, he had always respected the efforts of component parties.

He said he trusted in the relationship with PAS, which had vowed to remain with the coalition.

“PAS at a recent Hari Raya meeting with its president and secretary-general said that the party would remain in PN,” he said, referring to Abdul Hadi Awang and Takiyuddin Hassan.

“But what PAS wants to do, what we want to do – there are efforts being made,” he added.

“It does not matter. In the end, we will sit down to discuss what is best for PN. But what is more important for the country – that is what I think we should prioritise.”