KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 ― After sitting out the Sabah state election, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man reminds party members to see the "bigger agenda” in the party’s decision to do so.

Speaking during his address to the PAS youth annual congress (muktamar), Tuan Ibrahim said the move was part of a wider strategy on ensuring their political cooperation, without specifying Muafakat Nasional or Perikatan Nasional, to reach victory. 

He stressed that when party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang made the decision, it was done so in order to avoid the "enemy’s trap” by dividing the Islamist party with its allies.

"I had gone down to Sabah earlier to the [PAS] leadership there, [I] understand their sadness, their disappointment but we look at the bigger picture. When the president issued the statement, the entire party, including those in Sabah had agreed to it because they looked at the bigger agenda.

"Do not let us be trapped in the enemy’s agenda for us to contest and eventually split [with our allies] and they [opposition] would reach victory. We had succeeded in avoiding the trap that has been set by the enemy,” he said.

Yesterday, Hadi announced that the party will not contest any of the 73 seats for the Sabah state election.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan previously said the Islamist party had planned to contest in 10 seats initially.

However, Sabah PAS chief Mohd Aminuddin Aling had also revealed earlier that the Islamist party was not invited to contest any seat

PAS has not won a single seat when it has previously contested in Sabah state elections.