Muhyiddin dismisses claim Bersatu-Pas cooperation is 'contract marriage'

JOHOR BAHRU: Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has dismissed allegations that ties between Bersatu and Pas are not strong as their cooperation is just like 'kahwin mutaah' (contract marriage).

The Bersatu president said the relationship between the two parties was very strong as they were both founders of the coalition.

"Our cooperation is very strong because Pas is also a founder of PN, then Gerakan, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and Parti Maju Sabah (SAPP) joined. But the founders are Bersatu and Pas; it is not a contract marriage.

"They (detractors) are saying this because they are (jealous) of our strong support," he told reporters after the 'Sembang Petang Bersama Abah' programme at Taman Sri Stulang here today.

He said this when asked to comment on UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid's allegation that ties between Bersatu and Pas in PN were like a contract marriage and thus it was not surprising for leaders of the two parties to issue contradictory statements.

Pas secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan had been reported as saying in Kota Bharu yesterday that PN was confident it could form a coalition government with other parties especially Barisan Nasional (BN) after the 15th General Election (GE15).

However, Takiyuddin issued a statement today saying his remarks about possible PN-BN cooperation post-GE15 had been taken out of context and the headlines used by several media outlets were misleading.

Muhyiddin reiterated that PN would not enter into an alliance with other parties or coalitions to form the government.

"We want to fight on our own single platform which is PN. There is no intention to work with BN, what more PH (Pakatan Harapan)," said Muhyiddin, who is defending the Pagoh parliamentary seat.

Asked on PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's allegation that PN was the richest party in Malaysia, he challenged the PKR president and Tambun parliamentary candidate to show proof.

"Where is the evidence? If you want to disclose both PN and PH accounts, I'm willing. Does Anwar dare to?

"We are a new party; we don't have many resources. We just depend on people who want to help us," he said..

Anwar was reported as saying that PN had become the richest party after getting contracts worth billions of ringgit during the COVID-19 pandemic when Muhyiddin was the prime minister.

-- BERNAMA