KUALA LUMPUR – PAS has rejected any proposal to restructure Perikatan Nasional, including a plan to abolish the coalition’s chairman post, warning that such a move would violate the coalition’s constitution and could trigger action by the Registrar of Societies.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the party’s position was firm and had been conveyed in a letter from its president, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang. He stressed that the PN constitution clearly provides for the post of chairman and does not allow for its removal.
“It cannot be changed. Any move that goes against the constitution risks action by the authorities, including the RoS,” Takiyuddin told reporters outside Parliament today.
His remarks came after he confirmed the authenticity of leaked correspondence involving former PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, which outlined a proposal to overhaul the coalition’s leadership structure. Under the proposal, the chairman’s role would be abolished, with a Bersatu-led Presidential Council responsible for policy and a PAS-led Executive Council overseeing administration.
Takiyuddin said that while the PN constitution does allow for the formation of a presidential council, such a body has never been established.
“It has never existed. I rest my case,” he said.
Pre-council meeting unconstitutional
Muhyiddin had claimed in a letter dated January 27 that PAS and Bersatu had agreed to the restructuring during a meeting at his residence on January 16. He said Gerakan and Malaysian Indian People’s Party leaders were briefed on the proposal and had expressed support.
However, Pas deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has denied that any such agreement was reached.
Takiyuddin also dismissed suggestions of a major crisis within the coalition, describing the dispute over the chairmanship as “a storm in a teacup” and saying internal matters should not be elevated into a national issue.
PN has been without a chairman since Muhyiddin’s resignation from the post took effect on January 1.
In his letter, Muhyiddin also said a Supreme Council meeting scheduled for January 29 was cancelled after he was informed that Takiyuddin had issued invitations for an extraordinary meeting to discuss, among other matters, the appointment of a new chairman. Muhyiddin said the agenda was inconsistent with what he claimed had been agreed on earlier.
Takiyuddin, however, said that a pre-council meeting planned for tonight had no constitutional basis.
“Perhaps it is just a meeting over coffee with party presidents,” he said. – January 29, 2026