KUALA LUMPUR: UMNO deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has disputed PAS' claims that the Muafakat Nasional (MN) Charter requires a party like Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) to be admitted into its fold.

In a post on his official Facebook today, Mohamad said any party which wanted to join MN should resonate with the interests of MN founders UMNO and PAS.

"PAS and the whole of Malaysia are aware that delegates to the (2020) UMNO general assembly have decided that UMNO would not enter into any form of cooperation with Bersatu. UMNO is bound by that decision.

"So, it is very reasonable for this reality to be understood and accepted before PAS proposes any new members in MN," said Mohamad, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman.

He was responding to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang's statement yesterday that UMNO was not sticking to the charter signed by the two parties when setting up MN.

According to Abdul Hadi, the MN Charter stipulates that the two founding members should be prepared to admit other political parties including Bersatu and non-governmental organisations.

Mohamad, who is Rantau state assemblyman in Negeri Sembilan, said UMNO had never turned its back on MN and that the charter was non-binding because MN was not registered as a political coalition.

"The reason is that UMNO wants Malays to see it (MN) as a platform for all and not just a political instrument of UMNO and PAS. So, PAS should not leave MN just because UMNO does not want to accept Bersatu.

"The interests of the Malays and Islam are far bigger than the importance of Bersatu joining MN. Let's not do something which will finally drive Malays further away from MN. I hope the PAS president will continue to be together with UMNO in exploring new dimensions to develop the capability of the Malay race, Insha-Allah," he added.

MN was established at the Ummah Unity Gathering on Sept 14, 2019.

-- BERNAMA