SIK, Sept 2 — PAS hopes there is still room for negotiations with Umno through Muafakat Nasional (MN) to avoid clashes between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) in 27 ‘critical’ Parliamentary seats in the 15th general election (GE15), said PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

He said talks between PN component PAS and BN’s backbone Umno were crucial as three-cornered fights in these Malay-majority seats would only benefit Pakatan Harapan (PH).

"Definitely, there is a need to talk, even for scores of state seats. For example, Malay-majority Raub and Bentong (both parliament seats) were won by PH because both (BN and PAS) joined the fray,” he said.

He told reporters this after opening the Dewan Muslimat (women’s wing) annual muktamar (assembly) in conjunction with the 68th PAS Muktamar here today.

To a question on whether MN still exists, he said neither Umno nor PAS had declared it dead.

MN should be preserved in the interests of the Malays and Islam as it was more than just a platform for political discussions during elections, he added.

However, Tuan Ibrahim said if Umno wanted to go it alone in GE15, PN was prepared for three-cornered fights.

"PN is prepared for any eventuality. But three-cornered contests would be detrimental to both BN and PN,” he added.

In his speech, Tuan Ibrahim, who is Environment and Water Minister, announced that the national-level Water Day 2022 celebration would be held on Sept 25 in the Sungai Muda area in Kedah.

This is in recognition of Sungai Muda’s role as a source of water supply for three states — Kedah, Penang and Perlis.

"JPS (Drainage and Irrigation Department) is identifying the suitable locations which will be announced later,” he said. — Bernama