MP backs Umno-PAS pact in Johor, moots inclusion of Hamzahs faction

Wan Saiful said Johor could serve as a catalyst to unite Malay parties, while an Umno-PAS-Reset state government would make Johor a model for the rest of the country to follow.

“The issue of party logos and names is merely technical and can be easily resolved if there’s an agreement in principle. Malaysians are already used to candidates from one party contesting under an allied party’s banner.

“Johor can make history through this state election. Let us all negotiate with unity as our highest priority,” he said in a Facebook post.

The former Bersatu Supreme Council member added that Umno working with opposition parties in Johor need not threaten its cooperation with Pakatan Harapan at the federal level.

He argued that the concept of federalism allows for different political alignments at the federal and state levels, pointing to the Sarawak assembly where DAP sits in the opposition despite being federal allies with Gabungan Parti Sarawak.

“Therefore, Johor has the opportunity to become the first state in the peninsula to really practise this concept of federalism,” said Wan Saiful, who was among the MPs sacked by Bersatu amid Hamzah’s leadership tussle with party president Muhyiddin Yassin.

The former Bersatu leader was responding to PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s call for PAS and Umno to revive their Muafakat Nasional (MN) alliance.

This comes as PAS reviews its relationship with Perikatan Nasional ally, Bersatu.

PAS central committee member Annuar Musa had backed Tuan Ibrahim’s call but said reviving MN would require Umno and PAS to give up some seats to each other.

Annuar said if Umno rejects Tuan Ibrahim’s proposition, PAS should forget about the Barisan Nasional lynchpin and form alliances with other parties for the 16th general election.