KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 ― Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he is prepared for the self-appointed role of peacemaker between Pakatan Harapan and PAS.

In a Sinar Harian report today, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia pro-tem president said he is confident that the fledgling party will succeed in bridging the gulf between the two warring sides, a role once filled by the currently imprisoned Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"For me, this is a challenge. If [Pribumi] can play a role as a political party and I am considered as the bridge or the factor that can tie the relationship of the opposition towards a good cause, then I am willing.

"I am not afraid that I will fail. It is better for me to fail after I made an effort than failing without doing anything,” Muhyiddin was quoted saying.

The declaration appears pursuant to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s unilateral declaration of Muhyiddin as the opposition’s pick to be prime minister, which DAP has already rejected.

Muhyiddin said that in his latest meeting with PAS, the Islamist party has indicated its readiness to cooperate, pending further details.

He then claimed that Pakatan Harapan component parties PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara have no problems with a grand coalition that includes PAS.

Despite Muhyiddin’s assertion, PAS told would-be suitors yesterday to abandon DAP if they wish to enter into a political alliance with the Islamist party.

According to PAS, it is time for the country’s oldest opposition party to "lead the change” in the country, and every party is invited to join its own coalition, Gagasan Sejahtera, so long as they respect PAS’ principles and its Islamic struggles.

PAS’s ultimatum came as Anwar stressed yesterday that negotiations with PAS must be resolved before the opposition parties can discuss any mutual agreement for a larger electoral pact.

The de facto PKR leader, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for sodomy, confirmed the tripartite Pakatan Harapan pact is working to pull the conservative Islamist party to its side, after talking to Muhyiddin earlier yesterday.