KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang today insisted his party’s split with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia is genuine and not an election tactic.
He also said political cooperation between the two parties has already ended despite both continuing to contest under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner for the Johor state election.
Speaking after delivering a morning religious lecture at Rusila Mosque in Marang today, Abdul Hadi said PAS and Bersatu were campaigning separately because Bersatu had insisted on using the PN logo.
“We are sticking with the symbol. As for Bersatu, I don’t know whether it’s a strategy or not. Maybe it’s their own strategy, but God willing, PAS members will continue working,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia.
Abdul Hadi was responding to speculation that the apparent “divorce” between PAS and Bersatu was merely political theatre and that the two parties would eventually reconcile to shore up support for PN at future state and general elections.
He said PAS had already ended its political cooperation with Bersatu, although Bersatu remains a member of PN because the coalition has not moved to expel it.
The split has already been reflected in the Johor state election campaign, where PAS and Bersatu are contesting under the same PN logo but running separate campaign operations after ending their political cooperation.
The parties announced their candidates at separate events last night, departing from PN’s usual practice of unveiling its line-up jointly ahead of an election.
PN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has said each component party contesting under the coalition’s logo would be responsible for selecting its own candidates, managing its campaign and overseeing election operations in the seats it contests.
Although both parties are contesting under the same PN logo and received their letters of candidacy from the same coalition representative, they are deploying separate campaign teams on the ground after ending their political cooperation.
The Election Commission (EC) has set July 11 as polling day for the Johor state election, with nominations tomorrow and early voting on July 7.
