KUALA LUMPUR – The new head of Bersatu Women Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsuddin has expressed her confidence that the relationship between PAS and Bersatu in Perikatan Nasional (PN) will remain strong and both quarters will continue working together toward the 16th general election (GE16) and beyond.
The Masjid Tanah MP said this in response to attacks and taunts from some government party leaders towards the PN coalition following a series of by-election defeats.
“There is no deterioration or bad blood in the relationship as some claim (due to the by-election losses) – it is simply not an issue. The relationship between Bersatu and PAS leaders remains good.
“In this coalition, we greatly appreciate PAS’ presence and will ensure that this cooperation and relationship continues and lasts until the upcoming general election and beyond.
“We need to take care of each other. PAS brings strengths to PN, and that is undeniable, and we also want to learn how to be as great as PAS,” she said in a phone interview today.
Mas Ermieyati, who won the Women wing chief position uncontested, acknowledged that Bersatu had learned a lot from PAS’s long-standing experience as an opposition party.
“I, myself, have a good relationship with many PAS leaders, whom I respect and continue to learn from, as they have been in the opposition for a long time.
“We can learn from PAS’s machinery – how they carry out fieldwork, party tasks, and service to the people,” she said.
She noted that criticism and attempts to sow discord within a coalition after election defeats are a normal part of politics.
“Those who win can say whatever they want because they won, and in any series of elections, we will face such situations.
“For example, during the by-election in Sg Bakap, Penang, they (Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan) also went into ‘hiding’ (after losing), and at that time, we (PN) attacked them, so it’s a fair situation for any scenario.
“However, each by-election defeat teaches us something. The experience in Nenggiri is different, while Mahkota offers other insights, so we look at what improvements we can make for the coalition heading towards GE16,” she said.
She added that to increase public support for Bersatu and PN, issues concerning the people must be addressed comprehensively and diversely, not limited only to matters of Malays and Islam.
“Moving forward with new spirit, I, together with Srikandi (Bersatu Women), am determined to champion various issues, including women’s rights, family matters, the economy, social issues, and others, across all races and religions,” she said.
Previously, Umno Supreme Council Members Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi and Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed were among those who strongly criticised Bersatu and PN, likening them to “a dead person who has not yet been buried” following the series of defeats in the Mahkota and Nenggiri by-elections. – October 13, 2024