KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — The Semenyih by-election does not solely revolve around the relationship between Umno and PAS, Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said today amid uncertainty about who PAS is backing.
Mohamad said that the main focus in the race was about the ruling Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) purported failure to fulfil their election promises and keep the cost of living low.
“The cooperation between Umno and PAS is bigger and more strategic in terms of its value and importance than a mere by-election in Semenyih,” Mohamad said in a statement.
“It is about Malay-Muslims who feel that they are increasingly marginalised. There have been systematic efforts to marginalise them from mainstream development and national politics. Their identity, religion, and way of life are increasingly at threat, whether explicit or implicit, so that the ideology of ‘Malaysian-Malaysia, No Race, No Religion’ is realised,” he claimed.
He also alleged that this so-called ideology manifested from the PH government and DAP politicians’ lack of concern for Malay-Muslims’ culture and values.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said Sunday that his party was supporting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s leadership until the next general election, after the prime minister claimed that the Islamist party was not backing Umno in Semenyih.
PH is represented by Dr Mahathir’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in the Semenyih race.
