PAS Ends Cooperation with Bersatu PN Alliance Dissolved

Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has confirmed that PAS has formally and unilaterally decided to end its political cooperation with Bersatu, bringing to an end the partnership that formed the backbone of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance, one of the most consequential political alliances in modern Malaysian history. Speaking to reporters at Bersatu’s 10th anniversary celebration, Muhyiddin was clear and firm: the decision to part ways came entirely from PAS, led by its president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, and was not initiated by Bersatu in any way.

“PAS made the decision not to continue cooperating,” Muhyiddin stated plainly, addressing the split directly. “This was not Bersatu’s choice.” His careful wording underscored a consistent narrative: that Bersatu had remained committed to the alliance, and that the separation had been forced upon it by its former partner. The announcement confirms what has been rumoured and speculated upon for weeks: the formal collapse of a partnership that has reshaped the nation’s political landscape since PN rose to power in the “Sheraton Move” of March 2020.

The break was officially finalised on June 9, when PAS’s Central Working Committee convened a special meeting and resolved to end political cooperation with immediate effect. The decision did not come suddenly or without extensive internal review. It followed detailed reports, in-depth studies, and comprehensive assessments of the current state of the relationship between the two parties, a process that suggested deep-seated concerns had been building for some time. Most significantly, the move was preceded by a formal policy review from PAS’s highest religious authority, the Syura Ulama Council, which had already endorsed the shift on June 2, one week earlier.

In explaining the rationale behind the decision, PAS cited considerations of policy direction, religious principles, and broader public interest, all rooted in the party’s foundational guiding principle of Muslim unity. This framing is central to understanding the split: it was not driven by a single dispute, a personal clash, or an isolated event. Instead, it represented a fundamental reassessment by PAS’s religious leadership over whether continued alignment with Bersatu still served the party’s core mission and long-term objectives. The Syura Council’s involvement in particular signals that this was seen as a matter of religious and ideological direction, not merely political strategy.

Muhyiddin’s presentation of the split was deliberate. By repeatedly emphasising that Bersatu had not chosen this outcome, and that the initiative to sever ties came entirely from Hadi Awang and PAS leadership, he positioned his party as the loyal partner that had been abandoned a narrative that will likely shape Bersatu’s messaging as it moves toward the 16th General Election. He made no criticism of PAS, choosing instead to state the facts of the separation clearly and calmly, leaving the public to judge which party had disrupted the alliance.

The dissolution of the PAS–Bersatu partnership marks one of the most significant realignments in Malaysian politics in decades. Perikatan Nasional, which made sweeping gains in the 15th General Election securing strong majorities across the northern and eastern coastal states, and emerging as a formidable national opposition force now effectively ceases to exist as a unified electoral bloc. The split leaves both parties facing vastly different and uncertain paths ahead of the next general election. PAS appears poised to pursue its own distinct, faith-centred political agenda, potentially seeking new alliances or standing independently on its deeply rooted regional support. Bersatu, meanwhile, must quickly determine whether to seek fresh partners, rebuild its appeal on its own platform, or attempt to hold together the fragments of the former coalition.

The practical consequences will unfold across every level of the political system. State-level agreements, shared resources, joint electoral strategies, and grassroots networks all require renegotiation or rebuilding. Supporters who identified strongly with the PN brand now face the choice of following one party or the other, or stepping back from the political fray entirely. What remains clear, as Muhyiddin made plain, is that the alliance that once seemed unshakeable has come apart, and in his telling, Bersatu bears no responsibility for its ending.