He said that if any party’s continued existence should be questioned, it should be Umno’s as the party was rejected by voters in the 15th general election (GE15).
“If we want to talk about dissolution, then dissolve Umno, because Umno was rejected by the people in the last general election.
“PAS, on the other hand, has been accepted by the people, especially Muslims. The proof is that PAS holds far more seats than Umno. It makes no sense to talk about dissolving PAS,” he told FMT.
Iskandar was responding to Zahid’s remarks expressing hope that PAS would eventually dissolve itself as Umno had amended its constitution in 2019 to include upholding Islam as part of the party’s purpose.
Zahid claimed the late PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat had said in 2008 that PAS would dissolve itself if Umno ever made Islam the basis of its constitution.
The 2019 amendment to Umno’s constitution revised Article 3, which originally read: “Umno is a political party that fights to uphold the national aspirations of the Malays and to uphold the dignity and stature of race, religion, and country.”
The amended version now reads: “… to uphold the dignity and stature of Islam, race, and country.”
For the record, in July 2008, Nik Aziz had proposed dissolving both Umno and PAS to form a new Islamic-based party aimed at uniting the Malays and providing a platform for all, including non-Muslims.
‘PAS will outlive Umno’
PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, on the other hand, said he did not wish to take Zahid’s remarks too seriously.
He said if old speeches were to be referred to, former Umno president Najib Razak in 2015 had claimed that Malays would be doomed if Umno lost power.
“Umno lost in the 2018 (general election) and it cannot be said to have truly won in the 2022 general election, even though it is currently part of the government.
“My question is: Are the Malays doomed now? If that claim were true, what is Umno doing to restore Malay dignity beyond merely being in government with DAP?” he said in a Facebook post.
“I do not wish for Umno to dissolve – because Umno still has its role and its own strength, and contributions. But compared with Umno, I am confident that PAS will far outlast Umno, God willing.”