Ties between PAS and UMNO still good - Abdul Hadi

KUALA TERENGGANU: PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has stressed that the relationship between his party and UMNO is still good although they have been facing certain problems recently.

"Ties with UMNO, Alhamdulillah, are generally still good. We treat UMNO as a party, not individuals," he told reporters after PAS' 70th anniversary celebration at Taman Tamadun Islam here today.

He said this when asked to comment on views that relations between PAS and UMNO have become increasingly cold since the Melaka state election last month.

In the Melaka polls, UMNO came to power through Barisan Nasional while PAS contested under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner and lost.

Abdul Hadi said the good ties were apparent based on the fact that UMNO and PAS could work together in the PN federal government, which includes Bersatu.

He also dismissed talk that his ties with UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had grown cold.

"I think it is still warm. In Parliament, I sit near him," he said.

However, Abdul Hadi said he is prepared to meet with the UMNO leadership to iron out any problems between the two parties.

Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said Malaysia needed a bigger grouping than Muafakat Nasional (MN), which comprises UMNO and PAS, to ensure its stability and to strengthen unity among the ummah.

He said a bigger alliance could also help extricate PAS and UMNO from their current squabbles.

"Maybe the country needs a big grouping not limited to the peninsula but includes Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

-- BERNAMA