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PAS has firmly maintained that it is premature to debate who should serve as prime minister under Perikatan Nasional (PN), arguing instead that pressing domestic and international concerns must take precedence.
The party’s deputy president, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, said discussion over a potential prime ministerial candidate should not be a priority for the opposition coalition at this stage.
“What is important is that there is not even an election date yet and now the focus must be given to issues happening in the country and the cost of living,” he told Sinar Harian.
He added that PAS is concentrating on strengthening PN alongside its component parties.
“PAS’s priority at this time is also to focus on strengthening Perikatan Nasional (PN) with other component parties,” he said.
His remarks follow recent statements by PN chairman and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who clarified that the appointment of PAS vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as PN chairman does not automatically make the Terengganu Menteri Besar the coalition’s candidate for prime minister.
Muhyiddin, who is also the MP for Pagoh, said the question of who would be elevated as prime minister should PN win the 16th General Election was a separate matter from the coalition’s internal leadership appointments.
He added that the issue of PN’s prime ministerial candidate had yet to be discussed with PAS and other component parties.
Tuan Ibrahim reiterated that more urgent matters demand attention, including geopolitical instability.
“The issue of war in Iran is far more important to discuss at this time,” he said.
Meanwhile, PAS treasurer-general Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad acknowledged that the coalition’s chairman is not necessarily its prime ministerial nominee in the event of an electoral victory.
However, he suggested that PN would almost certainly choose its chairman for the premiership should it prevail at the polls.
“Furthermore, in the present situation, where the new PN chairman, Dr Ahmad Samsuri, has brought a new spirit to PN.
“The general public recognises that he possesses the appropriate characteristics of a Prime Minister. A moderate technocrat who can be accepted by all levels of Malaysian society.
“It is therefore quite impossible for PN to choose someone else as PM if PN wins the General Election,” he said.
Nevertheless, he stressed that the appointment of a prime minister ultimately rests with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and that this constitutional prerogative must be respected. - March 5, 2026