Rejecting the Umno president’s remarks made last week, Hadi said Umno previously used the Internal Security Act against PAS, even though both parties had initially intended for it to be used against the communist threat.

“This ‘DNA of betrayal’ is in Umno, not PAS. The Malays will never forget this incident,” said Hadi in his regular column, “Minda Presiden PAS”.

PAS leaders were among those detained under the ISA during Operation Lalang in 1987. The law was abolished in 2012.

On May 7, Zahid said Umno would only consider reviving its cooperation with PAS if it removed “betrayal from their hearts”.

He said he had initiated efforts to unite the Malay-Muslim community through Muafakat Nasional (MN) following the 14th general election but claimed that PAS ultimately betrayed the partnership.

Zahid was responding to Hadi, who earlier urged Umno to reflect and “return to the right path”, accusing it of having chosen the wrong political partners.

PAS and Umno formed the MN alliance in 2019 to unite Malay-Muslim support in what was seen as a major breakthrough in consolidating Malay political power after decades of enmity between the two parties.

However, following the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government and the appointment of Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister in 2020, PAS decided to work with Bersatu to form Perikatan Nasional, which Umno viewed as a betrayal.

In his column today, Hadi also urged Umno to resume efforts towards Malay-Muslim unity through a muzakarah involving both parties, as well as Muslim muftis and experts.

He said PAS had at various points proposed dialogue with Umno, including a muzakarah in the 1960s and an open debate in 2001, but claimed that Umno had never responded.