Husam 'vindicated' after Najib 'confirms' PAS-Umno ties before GE14

Amanah vice-president Husam Musa feels vindicated after former Umno president Najib Abdul Razak said he and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had "planted the seeds" of their parties' co-operation.

Thanking Najib, Husam said this confirmed his claim regarding covert co-operation between Umno and PAS before the 14th general election.

Husam was a PAS veteran until he was sacked in 2016, subsequently joining splinter party Amanah. He had opposed the Islamist party's partnership with Umno, which the former’s leadership had publicly downplayed before the 14th general election. 

"I would like to thank Najib for confirming my previous claim as, before this, I was sacked by PAS for alleging it was co-operating with Umno.

"Before the last general election, PAS denied the alliance existed. Najib's confirmation is progress, as such partnerships should be carried out publicly and with the agreement of members from both parties, not conducted behind closed doors," he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Last Saturday, Najib, who is facing 42 charges of money laundering, abuse of power and criminal breach of trust, was invited to speak at a PAS ceramah in Kedah.

"I had all this while quietly initiated this with (PAS president) Hadi. He came to my house during the night to discuss RUU355 (hudud law), as well as other matters related to the interests of Muslims," the former prime minister had said.

Husam claimed that Najib and Hadi had begun co-operating with each other since 2009.

As part of this partnership, Husam said PAS allegedly contested in many seats in the 14th general election with the aim of splitting votes for the opposition.

However, Husam said, the party’s strategy had ended up splitting votes for Umno instead and contributed to BN's heavy defeat in the 14th general election, paving way for the first transition of power since independence in 1957.

The Islamist party was a former ally of Pakatan Harapan’s predecessor, Pakatan Rakyat.