KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — PAS will face its first electoral test under a newly-forged political alliance with Umno by campaigning side-by-side, as the latter will be defending the Rantau state seat at the April 13 by-election.

Party secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said today it will fulfil its “mandatory obligation” to its partner by mobilising its entire state machinery to ensure Umno deputy president, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, retains the seat.

“We would like to confirm that PAS will ensure the Umno candidate will win and retain the Rantau state seat,” he said in a statement.

“This is a mandatory obligation under the ‘ta’awun siyasi’ that both parties formalised on March 5, 2019,” he said, using the Arabic term that roughly means “political co-operation”.

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PAS said it is confident that Rantau voters will continue to back the leadership of Mohamad, who is also known as Tok Mat.

 

The Umno acting president has a proven track record as both Rantau assemblyman and former Negri Sembilan mentri besar, the party added.

PAS will mobilise both its division and state machineries for the campaign, Takiyuddin said, signalling the party’s commitment to help its ally win.

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Umno announced it had formalised ties with PAS last night, cementing a loose political co-operation that began right after the latter left Pakatan Rakyat in 2015.

The Rantau by-election was called after the Special Election Court annulled acting Umno president Mohamad’s uncontested victory from the 14th general election.

The court concluded that his would-be rival, PKR’s Dr S. Streram, was unlawfully barred from submitting his nomination papers.