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PAS forms ‘third force’ with ex-Umno minister’s Ikatan

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Pas President Hadi Awang says new coalition with Kadir Sheikh Fadzir’s party won’t split Malay community as the community is already split.

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PETALING JAYA :
Islamist party PAS today announced a formal political cooperation with Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan), led by former Umno minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir.

In a joint statement released at a function to announce the cooperation today, PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang and Kadir said the two parties discussed in an “open and brotherly spirit”, matters concerning the socio-economic situation in the country – especially the “ever widening socio-economic gap between the haves and have-nots, and between the rural and urban areas of the country”.

“Also discussed at length was the serious problem of corruption in the country that has become widespread and endemic. All these have made lives so difficult for the rakyat and obviously retarded our economic growth in a serious way. We also discussed the progress in our nation building efforts towards a Bangsa Malaysia that is truly united, fair, just and prosperous.

“In this connection, discussions also took place on the use of Bahasa Malaysia as one of the most important instruments on the road towards a united Malaysian nation,” said the statement.

The function was supposed to have been held at the PAS headquarters but a power cut and overcrowding at the venue resulted in a relocation to the Puteri Park Hotel in KL.

Today’s meeting was a start in creating a new group of like-minded political parties and NGOs in a more neat and structured form, and this was being initiated and led by PAS, the statement said.

“It is hoped that this new grouping will bring about a more mature political model that is clearly transparent, responsible and clean.”

Speaking to reporters later, Hadi dismissed claims that the new coalition would further split the Malay community.

“The Malay community is already split and it was not our doing. What we want to do is to bring the Malay race closer to the other races,” he said, adding that even if PAS won by a huge majority in the next election, the party would not “abandon” the non-Muslims.

Hadi said the coalition would differ from Pakatan Harapan in a way that “we won’t oppose for the sake of opposing”.

“What is good, we will accept, what is bad, we will oppose,” he said.

Hadi added that hudud was a concern in the coalition, and clarified that PAS wanted to elevate the status of the syariah courts first.

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