How will Umno-PAS pact play out?

Annuar outlines scenario of both parties working together to ensure BN forms stable govt

We can either have a three-cornered fight or PAS can cooperate with us. Tan Sri Annuar Musa

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno’s outspoken information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa has been in the limelight recently due to his comments about possible cooperation between his party and PAS.

He has occasionally dropped hints that it is not impossible for the two biggest Malay parties to find common ground and work together.

However, the Ketereh lawmaker has stressed that the ultimate decision on whether the two parties will strike up an agreement lies in the hands of Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Annuar’s comments have given rise to many questions about the form of cooperation that could emerge and its implications on Barisan Nasional.

In an interview with The Star ahead of the party’s general assembly next month, Annuar who has served Umno under four party presidents addressed questions on possible Umno-PAS cooperation.

Annuar said any form of cooperation between Umno and PAS would aim for political stability and to ensure that Barisan can form a strong and stable Government.

“Our objective is to avoid a weak Government... there is no point in change just for the sake of change but later you find that things will not get better.”

Political stability will require strong support from the Malay community, which has been split further with the formation of Amanah and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Pribumi).

However, Annuar stressed that PAS will never be part of Barisan because the party is not needed in the coalition.

Some people in PAS and Barisan do not see eye-to-eye on certain matters related to religion, he noted.

“Religion gives ways and flexibility... but PAS wants to survive on religious sentiment. They want to portray themselves to be more Islamic than others.

“This is something we in Umno cannot agree on. Umno believes in coexistence, tolerance, and respecting other religions, and not imposing Islam on our non-Muslim counterparts.

“This is the spirit of our Federal Constitution and what the country is built on from the first day of Independence,” said the 61-year-old.

Annuar offered his personal opinion on how the cooperation between the two parties could look like.

“We can either have a three-cornered fight or PAS can cooperate with us.

“This could mean that there is some form of understanding where we support each other for Umno to capture Selangor while we may consider PAS continuing to run Kelantan through the formation of a kerajaan campuran (unity government).

“The bottom line is, Kelantan must prosper and be better administered after GE 14,” he said.

The veteran Umno politician spared no criticism on the weaknesses of the PAS-led Kelantan government.

“It is either Umno takes over the state or PAS must be prepared to change. If they remain rigid... we are prepared to go (against them) in three-cornered fights.

“But if PAS sees itself as a factor for Malay unity and wants to make things better, then we can cooperate. How it can be done, we leave it to the Umno president,” he said.

As a veteran politician, Annuar has suffered his share of setbacks. He came under fire while serving as the chairman of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) due to allegations of misappropriation of funds and abuse of power, which includes the sponsorship of the Kelantan football team. He was suspended from the post in January, but has denied all allegations against him.

“During the Mara issue, I was left to solve the problem on my own. There are so many things I’m not happy about but I always think about what I should do to help the Government and not create more problems.

“I’m also unhappy with Najib on how he handled certain things, some related to me personally. But I always make sure that my personal interest does not override the party’s and nation’s interests.”

Championing party interest above all, said Annuar, was coincidentally the main lesson taught by former Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

But Dr Mahathir, said Annuar, has now gone against his own teachings.

“His contributions must be remembered, but I must be consistent. Tun M has taught me, that you never leave or betray the party, but he has forgotten this.”

Among the reasons for Dr Mahathir’s obsession in attacking Najib is because the former premier still wants to be kingmaker, said Annuar.

“Tun M is close to many people, and when they fail to get something (from the current Government), they complain to him and he feels duty bound to help them.

“Tun M has also made it clear that he wants his sons to be in politics so he encouraged his son Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir to contest for the Umno Youth chief’s post and subsequently the vice-president post.” Mukhriz lost in both the races. “He expected his son to win. It was obvious that Najib did not give strong support for Mukhriz, so I think that is where the problem started,” he added.

Dr Mahathir, said Annuar, continued to attack Najib in hopes of swaying the opinion of the Umno grassroots. The tables were turned when Umno sacked deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz while vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was suspended.

“When that happened, Dr Mahathir had no talian hayat (lifeline) left, so he went to the Opposition where he started to make all his U-turns.

“In his vocabulary, there is no such thing as defeat,” said Annuar.