Annuar: We will protect you

BN won’t sacrifice non-Muslim partners to please PAS, says MP

WHILE the door for cooperation with PAS is “always open”, Umno will not sacrifice its non-Muslim partners in Barisan Nasional to please the Islamist party, said Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

Denying talk that the two parties would be cooperating in the general election, the Umno information chief said for now, PAS looked like it could be going it alone in the polls.

“Up till now, there is no such cooperation with PAS and from what I understand, PAS is thinking of going it alone. So, it’s up to them.

“And if that is the case, then it’s our responsibility to take back Kelantan,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Umno general assembly yesterday.

“If it’s a three-cornered fight, we hope the people will give us the chance to take back the state,” he added.

Annuar, who is Ketereh MP, said should Barisan re-take Kelantan, it aims to form a strong state government and that doors for cooperation with PAS will always be open.

“We don’t want (to form) just a government because a weak government will not be able to serve the people well. So, it’s important to get a strong mandate by forming a strong government.

“So, (if there is) any friendly party that can work towards a strong government – or it could even be PAS if it can toe Barisan’s line, we welcome it,” he said.

However, Annuar said this should not be misinterpreted as Umno’s cooperation with PAS.

“If PAS cannot respect our non-Muslim component parties within Barisan, we cannot compromise with them. We cannot sacrifice our Barisan partners just to please PAS,” he said.