PETALING JAYA: PAS treasurer Iskandar Samad has lashed out at Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for expressing hope that PAS would be dissolved, saying the remark “made no sense”.
He said that if any party’s continued existence should be questioned, it should be Umno’s as the party was rejected by voters in the 15th general election (GE15).
“If we want to talk about dissolution, then dissolve Umno, because Umno was rejected by the people in the last general election.
“PAS, on the other hand, has been accepted by the people, especially Muslims. The proof is that PAS holds far more seats than Umno. It makes no sense to talk about dissolving PAS,” he told FMT.
Iskandar was responding to Zahid’s remarks expressing hope that PAS would eventually dissolve itself as Umno had amended its constitution in 2019 to include upholding Islam as part of the party’s purpose.
Zahid claimed the late PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat had said in 2008 that PAS would dissolve itself if Umno ever made Islam the basis of its constitution.
The 2019 amendment to Umno’s constitution revised Article 3, which originally read: “Umno is a political party that fights to uphold the national aspirations of the Malays and to uphold the dignity and stature of race, religion, and country.”
The amended version now reads: “… to uphold the dignity and stature of Islam, race, and country.”
For the record, in July 2008, Nik Aziz had proposed dissolving both Umno and PAS to form a new Islamic-based party aimed at uniting the Malays and providing a platform for all, including non-Muslims.
