KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — PAS will discuss Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) position with Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) this week, after ending its political cooperation with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

PAS central committee member and PN information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the decision was “nothing personal”, adding that it only involved political cooperation between PAS and Bersatu, and did not involve PN as a coalition.

“PN’s position will be discussed together with its component parties, particularly PAS, Gerakan and MIPP. The discussion will also be held this week,” he said in a Facebook post.

Annuar said PAS remained committed to multiracial political cooperation and appreciated the positive attitude shown by Gerakan and MIPP within PN.

He said PAS would ensure that its next move in PN is based on the coalition’s constitution, and not on the “superiority” of any individual or party.

He also said party-level ties with Bersatu had ended, but relations between individual members would continue as usual, adding that positions held by individuals in PAS-led governments would not be affected for now as long as they supported and cooperated with PAS.

JOHOR BAHRU, June 10 — Johor PAS will contest the upcoming state election under an electoral pact with an alliance of Malay-Muslim political parties, after recently ending its political cooperation with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

Johor PAS Commissioner Datuk Mahfodz Mohamed said the pact was aimed at maximising the parties’ combined strengths.

He said the parties, which share similar political goals, are Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), Parti Berjasa Malaysia (Berjasa) and Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (Iman).

“This is a temporary political alliance as an official coalition would take up time and will not be registered in time for the Johor polls.

“Under this electoral pact, it is agreed that PAS and the other participating parties will use our respective logos to contest,” he told reporters after chairing a state-level meeting at the Johor PAS office in Bandar Baru Uda here last night.

Mahfodz said discussions on seat distribution for the Johor polls were still ongoing and are expected to be finalised by the party’s central leadership on June 12.

He said prominent PAS central committee member and strategist Tan Sri Annuar Musa has been appointed as the party’s Johor election director.

“Johor PAS has also not decided on the number of seats to contest for the upcoming Johor election. We need to decide on our new objectives after severing ties with Bersatu late Monday,” said the PAS Syura Council member.

Mahfodz explained that PAS initially had 15 seats under a previous arrangement with Bersatu for the upcoming Johor election.

“This figure is the same that PAS had in the previous Johor state election,” he said, adding that PAS will need to renegotiate the number of seats after severing its ties with Bersatu.

Mahfodz, who is also the Johor Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman, said there is a likelihood that PAS would clash with Bersatu in the upcoming state polls.

He said it is inevitable that PAS would compete with Bersatu in certain seats.

On PAS having a strategic tie-up with Barisan Nasional (BN), Mahfodz said party leaders at the state level have reached out to explore possible cooperation.

“Johor PAS has held informal discussions with the state BN, but there is no firm agreement yet,” he said.