Umno Youth intends to become the bridge between Umno and PAS in a bid to revive Muafakat Nasional, the electoral pact forged between the country’s two largest Malay parties in 2019.
Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh said Umno and PAS must work towards uniting the Malays through Muafakat Nasional, which later fell apart when PAS and Bersatu formed Perikatan Nasional.
“We have realised the mistake we made in the past. When the alliance between Umno and PAS fell apart, Malay unity almost did not materialise,” he said.
When Malays were split, there were those who would attempt to exploit the division, which in turn led to anxiety on the ground, he said.
“Which is why I propose that Umno and PAS must work towards uniting the Malays,” he told reporters after a special Umno Youth convention today.
When asked if Bersatu would be invited to join MN, Akmal said he had no issue with Muhyiddin Yassin’s party.
“But if we want to unite the Malays, these two parties (Umno and PAS) must join forces first,”he said. “And only then will we invite the rest. They are most welcome.”
Akmal’s push for cooperation with PAS comes in the wake of a call by PAS election director Sanusi Nor to revive Muafakat Nasional ahead of the next general election.
Sanusi last week said ties between PAS and Umno were vital for political stability, especially at the grassroots level. His call echoed those of other PAS leaders who had repeatedly brought up the idea of reviving the pact.
MN was formed a little over six years ago with the intention of consolidating the Malay-Muslim vote when Umno and PAS were in the opposition bloc following Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the general election of May 2018.
The pact fell apart after PAS formed Perikatan Nasional with Bersatu while insisting that Bersatu be included in MN, which Umno was against.
