Malaysia’s opposition party Bersatu says ready to fight PAS ‘on all fronts’ amid political divorce

But Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said his party remains part of the Perikatan Nasional opposition coalition and will use its logo in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections on Jul 11 and Aug 1, respectively.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia opposition party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) warned that it was prepared to go “all out” in its fight against former ally Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) following the latter’s decision to sever political ties recently.

This, even as Bersatu stressed that it remains within Perikatan Nasional (PN) – of which the two parties are members – and will contest the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections under PN’s banner.

“If they have made their decision, we are ready to fight on all fronts,” Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin was quoted as saying by news outlet Free Malaysia Today following the party’s supreme council meeting on Tuesday (Jun 16) night.

The former prime minister was responding to questions on whether he wanted to see the two parties go their separate ways.

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The public fallout between the former allies came after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang announced last week it was severing ties with Bersatu amid claims the latter had become “power-hungry” and failed to prioritise Malay-Muslim unity in the country.

Hadi had said his Islamist party had endorsed a similar decision by its Syura Council of Ulama – its highest religious decision-making body – that took in “policy, legal and public interest considerations”.

Despite the rift, Muhyiddin on Tuesday asserted that Bersatu remains a component party of PN and will use the coalition’s logo in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan elections on Jul 11 and Aug 1 respectively.

“We will stand firm on this position as we helped found PN,” he said, reiterating his earlier claim that the party would remain in the coalition due to its “strong brand”.

Muhyiddin added: “No party can expel Bersatu from PN, because one party alone cannot remove another - there must be consensus.”

Besides Bersatu and PAS, the PN coalition - which was formed in February 2020 - includes two smaller parties: Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP).

Last Friday, Hadi said PAS will decide on Bersatu’s position within PN at its central working committee meeting on Wednesday night, while adding that the removal of any party requires a majority decision of the coalition’s component partners.

“It is up to those two parties whether to support Bersatu or PAS, but based on the constitution, the chairman has powers, including determining election logos and other matters,” said Hadi, referring to Gerakan and MIPP.

PN’s chairman is Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, the Terengganu chief minister from PAS.

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There has been a war of words between Bersatu and PAS leaders since. PAS treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad earlier this week said Bersatu would find it increasingly difficult to function within the PN coalition under the current political circumstances.

Meanwhile, Bersatu supreme council member Afif Bahardin said it would be “awkward and embarrassing” for PAS to remain a component party if it no longer trusts Bersatu.

The PN coalition had enjoyed surprise success at the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022 that was characterised by the "green wave", featuring significant electoral gains largely propelled by PAS.

PAS currently holds 43 seats in Malaysia’s lower house of parliament. A minimum of 112 seats is needed to form a simple majority in Malaysia's 222-seat parliament.

Critics have said that to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional conservative base and capture the federal government, PAS requires a bridge to make it more acceptable to the electorate. 

Meanwhile, Bersatu had secured 31 seats at GE15 but its numbers have dwindled following the sacking of some Members of Parliament for supporting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration. This was followed by internal turmoil and the sacking of its then-deputy president Hamzah Zainuddin in February.

Hamzah has since launched his own political party Parti Wawasan Negara, with PAS’ support.

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