Is Perikatan Nasional unofficially off?
WHEN Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang signed the Malay Proclamation, Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was conspicuously absent.
(Focus Malaysia) – Muhyiddin is the chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN) which represents both Bersatu and PAS.
It is obvious that both Hadi and Muhyiddin are not on the same page, as both the Islamist party led by Hadi and Bersatu led by Muhyiddin are already drifting apart, since Bersatu is no longer of any use to PAS.
According to Bersatu information chief Datuk Razali Idris, the former prime minister “supports Malay Proclamation but it is not yet time to sit together with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.”
This explains why Dr Mahathir is desperately trying to reach out to Muhyiddin by extending him an olive branch, and Muhyiddin has no choice but to accept it since PAS has likely abandoned its bedfellow. Essentially, his position as chairman of PN could have become null.
PAS was apparently riding on Muhyiddin when he was the country’s eighth prime minister, but Muhyiddin did not choose a PAS leader – in particular Hadi – to succeed him as the ninth prime minister.
For this reason, the relationship between the two could have soured to a point that UMNO president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had announced that there might soon be a split in a particular coalition. Although Zahid did not name the coalition, it is likely that this could be the PN.
The claim that there was a “green wave” had given too much credit to PAS, which uses the colour on its flag (Bersatu is red), with Bersatu unable to enjoy the fruits of their efforts to bring the coalition together.
Muhyiddin probably regrets that his trust in Hadi had not worked out well, which is why he appears lukewarm towards Dr Mahathir’s olive branch.
