PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali said although PAS was not a member of the four-party Pakatan Harapan (PH), PKR was always open to discussing options to avoid three-cornered battles at the next polls.
However, there were no formal talks going on between the two parties at the moment, added Azmin.
“We want to see if there can be a sort of cooperation for a common framework to topple Barisan Nasional (BN). That is our main objective — to unseat Umno and BN.
“Any party that is ready for reform, and to save the country, we are ready to hold discussions with them for the benefit of the country,” he told a press conference at the PPBM headquarters here today.
Azmin also insisted that if there were any negotiations between PKR and PAS, his party would “certainly” inform its partners in PH.
“We will share the information with PH’s council and get consensus to move forward in the interest of our nation.
“This is the best time for us to form a new government,” the Selangor menteri besar said.
Asked if there was any deadline given to PAS to decide if it was willing to work with PKR, Azmin said he had discussed it with the party’s PH partners and decided against it.
He reiterated however, that this was because there was no formal discussions taking place with PAS at the moment.
“We have to see if they (PAS) are willing to work with PH in the interest of the country. We don’t know yet if they are.
“So our focus now is to strengthen PH’s election machinery and structure, among other things.
“If later on, PAS says it is willing to talk to PKR, we are more than happy to sit and discuss what would be the best way to do this.”
PAS, in May this year, officially ended all links and cooperation with PKR, with its syura council deciding that the move was necessary to defend the party’s Islamic agenda.
The council accused PKR of violating the terms of its conditional cooperation with PAS, failing to support the Islamist party in its Islamic agenda, and working against it in the Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar by-elections last year.
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, however, “rejected” PAS’ reasons, saying her party had tried to protect its relationship with the Islamist party.
On Saturday night, Azmin and Wan Azizah visited PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang. Azmin said however that it was merely a social visit as Hadi had undergone surgery several months ago.