PAS central committee member Zuhdi Marzuki suggested that Umno allow Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu to defend his Tambun seat.

In return, he said, Umno could field a candidate for the Hulu Kinta state seat while PAS could do the same in Manjoi. Both seats are in the Tambun parliamentary constituency and were previously held by Pakatan Harapan.

“Low Malay voter support could result in Anwar’s fall. Therefore, the formula to ensure that Anwar is defeated in Tambun is through an electoral pact among Umno, PAS and Bersatu.

“If this happens, Anwar’s political journey will end,” he said, adding that the PKR president was a major contributor to the country’s “endless political crisis”.

In a statement, Zuhdi also said a loss for Anwar in Tambun would thwart DAP’s efforts to win Perak for PH. The coalition currently governs Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.

Last Friday, Faizal confirmed that he will be defending the Tambun parliamentary seat in GE15, setting him up for a clash against Anwar, who announced his candidacy the day before.

Tambun was a Barisan Nasional stronghold but fell to PH in the 14th general election when Bersatu was part of PH. However, the party left PH following the Sheraton Move in February 2020.

Zuhdi said that since then, only 10% of Malay voters still supported PH in Tambun, with the remainder split between Umno and Bersatu.