Penyatuan ummah perlu diperluas luar PAS, Umno, kata Tuan Ibrahim

PAS and Umno are extending their agenda of uniting the Malay people for political power preservation prior to the 2016 General Election, according to PAS Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. While both parties are the dominant forces in Malay-Islam politics, expanding the scope of interfaith unity to include other parties beyond PAS and Umno is necessary, he argued.

This is due to the changing political landscape and the increasing number of young voters, who should not be confined to the historical divisions and political rivalries of previous generations. The upcoming generation desires solutions to future challenges rather than rehashing past conflicts. Tuan Ibrahim noted that the historical differences, approaches, and political agendas of the parties should not hinder unity, but rather be addressed with wisdom without sacrificing individual identities.

Moreover, the new framework should be bold enough to tackle major national issues such as racial politics, national cohesion, corruption, abuse of power, and cartel control. Following their joint efforts in the PRN Johor and Negeri Sembilan, Umno and PAS have made uniting the Malay people a central focus of their campaign ahead of the 2016 General Election.

However, at the Umno Annual Conference in Kedah last weekend, Kedah Umno Head Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin reportedly said that Umno Kedah wants to initiate inter-party political cooperation with PAS ahead of PRU16, but not with the National Pact. The use of the term 'cat party' was not named. At the meeting, Umno Youth Chief Dr Akmal Saleh stated that the party is willing to welcome PAS Youth's call for a Mega Interfaith Unity Gathering.