Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident of the compatibility between the UMNO and PAS leaderships but feels it was still too early to formally announce the cooperation.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also UMNO vice-president, said the cooperation and solidarity of the two parties was encouraging and political ties could be established if an understanding was sealed.

"Currently, as I've mentioned in the mass media earlier, it is too early for me to say that this cooperation is made formally via an organisational political approach.

"I am confident compatibility has existed in UMNO and PAS leaders despite some naysayers from PAS," he said in a statement last night.

He said UMNO practiced openness, but the party must take into account the views of its 'partners' in the Barisan Nasional (BN) and evaluate the elements of cooperation in terms of the reception from BN component parties.

Ahmad Zahid also denied he had issued a statement purportedly urging the Syura Council of the PAS Ulama that every member of the party must concur with the UMNO-PAS cooperation.

"As per my early statement, no formal cooperation has been formed between UMNO and PAS, including any official letter from UMNO with regard to the cooperation with PAS.

"Hopefully, any mistake in the report of the Sinar Harian news on Dec 26, 2015 (Saturday) will be rectified to correct the perception of readers on the UMNO-PAS cooperation," he said.

In fact, Ahmad Zahid said via interviews with the Mingguan Malaysia newspaper which was published on Dec 20, he had clearly stated that PAS had a strong Syura (consensus) system, and the voices in disagreement would eventually agree.

"In principle, let us hold on to the decree of Allah in Al-I'Imran verse 103 urging us to abide by the teachings of Allah to remain united," he added.