UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said that any possibility of reviving political cooperation with PAS is effectively blocked by what he described as entrenched elements of betrayal within the party’s leadership, citing past experience during the formation of Muafakat Nasional.

The Deputy Prime Minister said his involvement in establishing the now-defunct political pact had revealed a recurring pattern that, in his view, ultimately led to its collapse.

“Previously, I was the one who initiated Muafakat Nasional, but betrayal is their ‘DNA’.

“So, if they manage to remove that sense of betrayal from within their hearts, then perhaps we can consider it. However, if that betrayal continues to exist, I think it is better that we forget about it,” he said.

Zahid made the remarks to reporters on Thursday after officiating the National Social Policy Action Plan 2026–2030, an event also attended by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

His comments were made in response to recent statements by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, who had reportedly urged UMNO to reconsider its current political direction and return to cooperation with PAS, arguing that UMNO had made an error in aligning with PKR and DAP under the present unity government.

Abdul Hadi, who is MP for Marang, was also reported to have claimed that UMNO had weakened after moving away from what he described as its Islamic and Malay-centric foundations.

In his “Minda Presiden” commentary titled “UMNO: Rumah yang dicabut paku lantai”, Abdul Hadi further alleged that UMNO’s ideological footing had become increasingly unstable following its participation in the unity government arrangement.

The exchange underscores continuing friction between the two major Malay political parties, despite earlier attempts at rapprochement through Muafakat Nasional, which has since disintegrated amid shifting coalition politics at the national level. – May 7, 2026