No help for Bersatu from PAS election machinery in Johor, Hadi says

KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — PAS will not deploy its election machinery to help Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia candidates in next month’s Johor state election despite both parties contesting under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner, party president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said today.

According to Berita Harian, Abdul Hadi said PAS had ended its political cooperation with Bersatu and that the two parties would run separate campaign operations, even though Bersatu had insisted on using the PN logo.

“Although Bersatu has not been expelled from the PN coalition, the campaign machinery of both parties will operate separately,” he told reporters after delivering a Duha lecture at Rusila Mosque in Marang today.

“PAS has already terminated its political cooperation with Bersatu. Each party’s election machinery will operate independently, even though Bersatu insisted on using the PN logo.”

The remarks further underscore the public split between the PN allies ahead of the Johor polls, with Abdul Hadi making clear that PAS workers would campaign only for the party’s own candidates.

“We want to make it clear that PAS’ election machinery will not help Bersatu’s campaign... we have already severed our political cooperation with that party,” he said, as reported by the national daily.

Abdul Hadi also dismissed suggestions that the apparent “divorce” between PAS and Bersatu was merely an election tactic.

He said PAS candidates had already been designated to contest under the PN banner, while Bersatu continued to insist on using the same logo, adding that doing so could be part of Bersatu’s own political strategy.

PAS is contesting 11 of Johor’s 56 state seats under the PN banner, while Bersatu is fielding candidates in 16 constituencies. The Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) will contest five seats and Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) one.

The Johor state election campaign officially begins tomorrow after nominations, with early voting set for July 7 and polling on July 11.