KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — A PAS leader’s suggestion for PKR and PPBM to join it in a coalition without DAP and Amanah would still give the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) a winning advantage in the general election, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The PPBM chairman was responding to PAS vice-president Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah’s claim that the arrangement would put them in a better position to take over the federal government.
“The arithmetic of it is not right,” Dr Mahathir said when dismissing the idea.
“We would still have three-corner fights among the opposition and would split the vote. BN would win,” he said during a press conference after the Save Malaysia Roundtable here today.
Dr Mahathir said discussions between PAS and PPBM were ongoing, but predicted that his party will join a coalition with Pakatan Harapan before any agreement is reached with PAS.
PPBM president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin previously mooted a larger grouping called “Barisan Rakyat”, or the “People’s Front”, which would ideally include all federal opposition parties.
“If we (PPBM) can achieve an agreement with PAS it can help ensure there are straight fights with BN in the next elections,” he said.
PAS was previously in Pakatan Rakyat with DAP and PKR, but the pact disintegrated due to the DAP-PAS row over hudud.
DAP and PKR went on to form Pakatan Harapan with PAS offshoot Amanah, and later invited the older Islamist party to join. PAS refused to do so and maintains that it will not work with either DAP or Amanah.
However, PKR and PPBM have managed maintain a line of communication with the Islamist party.
