The door is still open for Umno to be involved in negotiations to cooperate with Pas in the 15th General Election.
This was despite Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN) deciding to go solo in the polls, said Pas Spiritual Leader Datuk Hashim Jasin.
He said that the Islamic party remains open on the issue as the unity of the ummah is God’s order and command.
“In this matter, we should not fold early on and put it under the table. We have room for discussion, there is room to talk because God has commanded. We only hope, that even after we open our arms to accept, don’t backstab.
“Don’t destroy unity because I love what we have done together all this time,” he said when met after launching the Kedah Pas election machinery in Naka, Kedah, 13th August.
Also present Pas Elections Director and Kedah Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor as well state Pas Commissioner, Datuk Ahmad Yahaya.
He told this to reporters when asked to comment on BN’s decision to go solo in GE15 as being final and which was unanimously decided by the party as stated by Umno Deputy Chairman, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan in Terengganu yesterday.
Hashim said Pas nevertheless remains ready to face-off Umno if the matter proves to be unavoidable.
“No matter what, we hope we will be reconciled. If (Umno) wants to be friends, come (please), if we have to fight, wait, let’s stop fighting first. Let’s be friends and start talking,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hashim said before the Muafakat Nasional charter was drafted and signed by the two parties, he requested one thing.
“I remember when before the charter (signature) was held at the WTC (World Trade Centre), we met with (Umno President) Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Alor Star. We told Datuk Seri that the document to be signed was okay and also at the end we should add the sentence – ‘if there is any disagreement in this agreement then we should refer it to the Qur’an and the Sunnah or Allah and the Messenger’.
“He agreed. ‘Good, good, good,’ he said. After that, he instructed Umno Secretary General at the time Tan Sri Annuar Musa to document the matter and Annuar admitted to me he was the one who wrote it.
“So in the unity of this ummah, even if some people don’t want it … we continue this call because Pas is committed to fight for it and leave it to God.
“God can help us and achieve success,” he said.