KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party would only consider reviving cooperation with PAS if the Islamist party abandoned what he described as its tendency toward “betrayal.”

Speaking to reporters after an event, Zahid said he had previously initiated efforts to unite the Malay-Muslim community through Muafakat Nasional (MN) following the 14th General Election, but claimed PAS later betrayed the alliance as reported by FMT.

“Betrayal is in their DNA. So if they remove that sense of betrayal from their hearts, perhaps we can consider it. If not, I think it is better for us to forget the idea,” he said.

Zahid was responding to remarks by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who urged Umno to reflect and “return to the right path,” alleging that the party had chosen the wrong political partners.

PAS and Umno formed the Muafakat Nasional alliance in 2019 in an effort to consolidate Malay-Muslim political support after years of rivalry between the two parties.

However, tensions emerged after the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020 and the appointment of Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister. PAS subsequently worked with Bersatu under the Perikatan Nasional coalition, a move Umno viewed as a betrayal of MN.

PAS also pushed for Bersatu’s inclusion in MN, which Umno opposed. The alliance eventually dissolved in December 2022, with Umno later backing Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.