Muhyiddin denies Bersatu, PAS only in ‘marriage of convenience’
JOHOR BARU, Nov 15 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin rejected an Umno leader’s claim that his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s partnership with PAS in the coalition was a “marriage of convenience”.
The former prime minister said both parties were key components of PN.
“Don’t make baseless allegations as PAS is among one of the founding parties of PN, before Parti Gerakan (Gerakan) and other component parties joined,” he told reporters after an event in Taman Sri Stulang here today.
Muhyiddin was responding to Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid who called the PAS-Bersatu partnership a temporary arrangement due to the frequently conflicting statements issued by both parties’ leaders.
Earlier, about 100 residents from the Sri Stulang flats showed up at the event to introduce PN’s Johor Baru parliamentary candidate, Mohd Mohtaj Yacob.
Muhyiddin explained that PN that consisted of Bersatu, PAS, Parti Gerakan (Gerakan), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and Parti Progresif Sabah (SAPP) would not break up like Barisan Nasional (BN) after it lost the 2018 general election.
“Basically, BN too was in a contract marriage. And now all the parties has mufaraqah (the Muslim term for ending the relationship between the makmum prayer and the imam’s prayer).
“So, this is not a contract marriage. He (Mahdzir) said that because we are growing stronger,” he said.
Muhyiddin said Mahdzir was projecting as it was BN that disintegrated, going from 14 components before 2018 to just four parties now.
Earlier, Mahdzir reportedly described the relationship between Bersatu and PAS in PN as temporary after PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the Islamist party would partner with BN if there were no clear winners in GE15.
