KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — Newly elected PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has denied that his party is stuck in a dilemma of having to choose between Umno and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia for the upcoming Melaka state election.
Instead, the Pasir Mas MP said the party was sought after by many and is now spoilt for choice in allies.
“To me, PAS is not in a situation where it has to make a difficult choice. I see PAS as a party that is sought after by many.
“We are not stuck. We have values that are appreciated by both Umno and Bersatu,” he was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini after the conclusion of the PAS Youth Muktamar today.
He said PAS will act accordingly to bridge the political gap between Umno and Bersatu to avoid a three-corner fight.
On October 28, Umno announced that the party wants to continue with the Muafakat Nasional cooperation with PAS for the November 20 Melaka state election.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the stand was in line with the resolutions of the party’s general assembly last year, among others to strengthen the MN pact between the two parties.
Previously, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his party will not cooperate with Bersatu as this was decided at the Umno assembly.
“I was informed that PAS will be issuing a statement soon and the party is made known of recent developments announced by the prime minister where the latter has been given the mandate by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to manage the election in that Umno was in the agreement of avoiding overlaps with their allies,” Ahmad Fadhli said.
When asked to comment on Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin statement that PN was prepared for a three-cornered fight, Ahmad Fadhli said he was optimistic of an alternative to the matter.
As the party’s new youth chief, he said the party wants to compete on a level-playing field before noting that the Health Ministry’s blanket ban on political campaigning during the Melaka state election applied to all, including ruling parties.
“We respect the standard operating procedures announced by the Health Ministry and we are confident that campaigning in the new norm, especially through mass media, is an effective campaign medium at the moment.
“But I want to state that let us compete on a level-playing field. That is the youth wing’s stance,” he said.
Official election campaigning for Melaka kicks off on November 8, which is nomination day.
Voters will cast their ballots on November 20.
The Election Commission has yet to announce SOPs for the state poll amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
