A woman walks past Umno, Barisan Nasional and PAS flags in Pekan Kuala Sawah, Rantau April 10, 2019. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — PAS and Umno have agreed to join forces to fight the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in any election, the Islamist party’s deputy president said.

Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told Utusan Malaysia in an interview published today that the two parties have a mutual agreement to support the other, which depends on who holds a bigger advantage in a seat being contested.

“We have agreed that when a by-election takes place, it will be ‘one against one’. If Umno is strong, then PAS will support Umno and if PAS is strong in a constituency, then Umno will support PAS for a straight fight,” he was quoted as saying.

He said the two parties will unite on any issue involving Muslim and Malay interests. Their coordination will also include matters to raise in Parliament.

However, the Kubang Kerian MP said PAS and Umno have not yet discussed the allocation of seats for the next general election that must be called by 2023, preferring to fortify their partnership among the grassroots first.