'Senior PAS leader blocked PAS-BN cooperation'

A senior PAS leader had written to the entire PAS leadership in the syura council and central committee, including to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, in a bid to stop the party's possible cooperation with BN.

This was according to former PAS vice-president Husam Musa, who now serves as vice-president of the splinter party Amanah.

Husam claimed the letter was discussed during a PAS leadership retreat in Pulau Pangkor, Perak earlier this month, and prompted PAS to hold back any decisions on cooperating with BN.

"Based on my information about the PAS retreat in Pangkor, PAS dare not make any decision on joining forces with Umno-BN due to objections from certain quarters.

"A senior PAS leader had written to all syura council and central committee members, including the president, to object PAS from joining forces with BN," he told a function in Kota Bharu today.

Husam did not name the senior PAS leader who wrote the letter.

The retreat in Pangkor, attended by top leaders from the syura council, central committee as well as the party's advisory board, was intended to chart PAS' direction in the 14th General Election.

Husam, who is also Salor state assemblyperson, claimed that PAS' advisory board, comprising party veterans, also objected to cooperation with BN.

He claimed his former party was in a dilemma now, as there were different groups objecting to working with either BN or Pakatan Harapan.

PAS advisor Mustafa Ali, when contacted, declined to comment.

"At the moment, I am abstaining from issuing statements to the media, I'm sorry," he said.

Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (photo) denied PAS had discussed the matter of cooperation with Umno and BN.