SG BESAR POLLS How could PAS accept Umno when it rejected its own leaders who went on to form Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah)?

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin said this when asked to comment on the perceived 'friendliness' between PAS and Umno, particularly during the ongoing Sungai Besar by-election campaign.

"This is PAS, there is ulama thinking and there is the non-ulama thinking.

"If they can't even accept the presence of non-ulama (in PAS) how can they accept the people from Umno?" said Kadir when met at the Amanah operation centre in Sungai Besar today.

Kadir further questioned the possible outcome of a cooperation between the two parties.

"If they get together, who is going to change who?"

"Will PAS change Umno for the better or will Umno corrupt PAS? The choice is theirs," said Kadir, who was in Sungai Besar to observe the polls campaign.

Kadir also rubbished the notion that a PAS-Umno collaboration could become a platform to unite the ummah (Muslim community).

"Politics will never unite the ummah. So if you expect politics to unite the ummah, politics will more likely to break up the ummah even more.

"The ummah is already broken up into three – Umno PAS and Amanah. I don't think it (PAS-Umno) is going to happen," he said.

'PAS-Umno a natural alliance'

Kadir, however, pointed out that both Umno president Najib Razak and PAS, post-Pakatan Rakyat's demise, now needed each other's support.

"It is simple, the guy who really needs a friend is Najib. The party who really needs an ally is PAS.

"They realise the importance of having partners. That by themselves, they cannot make headway. 

"So between Najib needing a friend and PAS needing a partner, there is a natural relationship," he noted.

The veteran newsman, however, said  the parties' grassroots may not warm up to the idea.

"I don't think at the grassroots (level) Umno members are excited about a partnership with PAS. A lot of PAS people also are not excited about coming together with Umno once again," Kadir said.

The Islamist party's leaders and candidate, Dr Abdul Rani Osman, have so far denied any future cooperation with Umno.

They insisted that PAS would support all that was good for the people and oppose what was wrong.

'By-elections to show displeasure towards Najib'

Kadir also concurred with the view that the twin by-elections could serve as an ideal stage for the people to show their displeasure towards Najib.

"The ground is fertile for rejection of BN but the opposition is quite unprepared. They have just broken up and having their own internal problems," he said.

Both former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Selangor PAS chief Iskandar Abdul Samad had separately described the twin by-elections as a "referendum" for Najib's government.

PAS is in a three-cornered fight for Sungai Besar against BN's Budiman Mohd Zohdi and Amanah's Azhar Abdul Shukur.

Early polling is tomorrow and polling day is on June 18