.png)
KUALA LUMPUR – Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called for deeper cooperation with Pas, including a joint Himpunan Perpaduan Ummah, while proposing that upcoming state elections be used to test whether the two parties can genuinely work together before the next general election.
Zahid said the presence of Pas leaders at the Umno General Assembly 2026 (PAU 2026) should be translated into “the widest possible space for mutual understanding”, with the relationship expanded for the benefit of the Muslim community.
“We would like to thank the Pas leadership representatives who attended PAU 2026.
“I translate this into the widest possible space for mutual understanding. This relationship needs to be expanded for the ummah,” he said when winding up the party’s annual assembly here today.
He said both parties had discussed holding a joint Himpunan Perpaduan Ummah, which he described as an opportunity to broaden cooperation between Umno and Pas.
Zahid then tasked the Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Dr Akmal Saleh with driving the initiative and called on the party machinery to give full support to similar gatherings at the state level.
“With this, I give it to the Umno Youth chief to get it moving. Cooperate well with them.
“I ask the entire machinery to give full support to the gathering at the state level,” he said, adding that they wanted 1 million Muslims to gather for the event.
However, Zahid appeared to suggest that the proposed cooperation should not remain at the level of political rhetoric or joint gatherings.
Instead, he wants the relationship to be tested on the ground before GE16, with upcoming state elections potentially serving as an early test of whether Umno and Pas can trust each other at the ballot box.
Referring to remarks by Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Zahid said: “As Tok Mat said, we test them.”
He alluded to holding elections first in Pas-governed Terengganu, Kedah and Kelantan to determine how far the two parties could cooperate, while stating that Perlis could be left to its state leadership, led by Umno state chief Datuk Rozabil Abd Rahman.
“Perlis is a bit more special, we leave to Tok Bil to decide,” he said.
The proposal would effectively make the state polls a political trial run for Umno-Pas cooperation before GE16 - allowing both parties to assess whether their calls for Malay and Muslim unity can translate into genuine electoral coordination.
Rather than waiting until the general election to find out whether the two parties can work together, Zahid appeared to suggest that the relationship should first be tested in states where Pas currently holds power.
The remarks come as Umno and Pas have increasingly spoken about the possibility of greater cooperation, despite years of political rivalry and their continued positions in different political blocs.
Zahid stressed that any cooperation must be based on mutual respect and trust.
“Hopefully, through this cooperation, we can defend one another, respect one another and not betray one another,” he said.
His proposal therefore goes beyond staging a symbolic show of unity.
By calling for state-level cooperation and pointing to Terengganu, Kedah and Kelantan as possible testing grounds, Zahid appears to be laying down an early condition for any broader Umno-Pas understanding ahead of GE16.
