Batu Rakit assemblyman Bazlan Abd Rahman said with MN remaining only in name now, it was time to cut  political ties with the Islamic party, Berita Harian reported.

“All this is due to PAS’ cheating attitude, with Bersatu through Perikatan Nasional (PN).

“If we already know the disease is harmful, why wait to treat it? The only cure is to sever political ties with PAS,” he said when debating the president’s speech at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.

“In fact, that is what PAS is waiting for too. So why should we be afraid?”

The future of the 2019 pact is in doubt as Umno has been at loggerheads with its splinter party Bersatu, which is a partner of PAS in PN.

A resolution urging Umno to strengthen cooperation with PAS and sever ties with Bersatu was passed at its last general assembly but PAS’ insistence on cooperating with Bersatu looks to have sealed MN’s fate.

Bazlan stressed that Umno’s grassroots in the PAS-led Terengganu government also wanted MN to end. Recounting MN’s experience in Terengganu, he said Umno controlled one-third of the state assembly but they were looked down upon by the PAS-led state government.

“In many cases, the Terengganu PAS government does not directly take into account the (views of the) elected representatives from Umno and Barisan Nasional,” Bazlan was quoted as saying by the Malay daily.

Prior to this year’s general assembly, analysts expected delegates to give a clear signal to the party on the future of MN if PAS continued to cling on to Bersatu.

On the campaign trail ahead of the recent Johor elections, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi gave a clear indication of MN’s future when he said it should be “kept in a folder that need not be reopened”.

PAS representatives were also not invited to Umno’s annual general assembly, with deputy president Mohamad Hasan stating there was limited seating due to Covid-19 SOPs.