KUALA LUMPUR: Umno-Barisan Nasional (BN) has given an assurance that it will not 'ride' on Pas' greatness and strength.
Party vice president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in a brusque manner said Pas has its own greatness and is a great party.
"Hopefully, its strength and prowess will be proven in the Johor PRN (state election) later. I assure (Pas President) Tan Sri (Abdul Hadi Awang), that Umno-BN will not try to ride on the prowess and strength of Pas with its one million members.
"Just don't scold us if we don't want to cooperate.
"Nonetheless, we pray for the best for Pas, as a great and strong party in the Johor PRN later," he said in a statement, today.
Hadi yesterday told Umno not to take advantage of the current arrangement with Pas to hold state elections in other states as taken place in Melaka and soon in Johor.
He described the upcoming Johor polls as a strategy cooked up by certain quarters within the Umno leadership, namely the 'court cluster'.
Hadi said if Umno failed to heed the call, Pas has its own strategy to educate its Muafakat Nasional (MN) partner and reminded that the Islamic party has the necessary strength in their strongholds in Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah.
While respecting the Pas president's view, Khalid said Hadi's statement yesterday carried some mistakes and contradictions.
"First of all, the Johor polls has nothing to do with the so called 'court cluster'. To me, their issues should be deliberated by the courts. That is my stand, Umno's and BN's all this while.
"The fact remains that the current Johor government only stood with one (seat) majority (difference)... So stop the pretence and accept the fact that such a situation is delicate and unstable.
"So, the best way to get a strong government is through a legitimate mandate, a state election.
"We cannot continue to have a government formed through political movements which at the same time deny the people's choice," he stressed.
Khalid said Pas may enjoy playing the 'political chess' but it only revealed immaturity and failure to uphold honest democratic principles.
He also pointed out that like Umno-BN, Pas was also defeated in the last general elections.
In this regard, he said, the notion that Pas being in a better position and saviour of Umno-BN was incorrect.
"Don't say they (Pas) saved Umno from drowning because they too had lost. But here they talk as if they are more successful... Talking without checking the facts," he said.
