Zahid's conditions not Umno's decision, says PAS No. 2

PAS says the conditions set by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for political cooperation ahead of the 15th general election (GE15) are "unsuitable" and do not reflect the official stand of the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said Umno should prioritise common interests over the views of individuals who might cause trouble in the days to come. 

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said any talks between the parties should refer to the same issues. 

"For now, PAS has its own rights," he said when asked about PAS' view of the conditions for strengthening the political understanding with Umno forged under the Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact as part of preparations for GE15. 

"We welcome Umno's desire to unite the ummah but for us, the conditions are not very suitable."

The conditions are for PAS to leave Perikatan Nasional (PN), cut ties with Bersatu, and announce in an official capacity the complete end of their relationship with both the coalition and its component party. 

In a press conference at Parliament yesterday, Tuan Ibrahim said the conditions set by Zahid were his personal opinion and not the stand of Umno.

"If they are, they should be put in an official statement," he said. 

"There has been no official statement mentioning these conditions."

Tuan Ibrahim also previously urged Umno against laying out "strange" and "cumbersome" conditions for any cooperation with PAS.

When asked if PAS had a time frame in mind for announcing its decision to work with either PN or MN, he declined to provide details.

He said the matter would continue to be discussed at PAS meetings, with a decision to be made known in time.

"Before this, Zahid talked a lot about going solo," he said.

"Now, he says he is ready to talk. For us, this is a positive development. Perhaps we should look at the mechanism for cooperation."