PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan is against cooperating with Umno, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia or PAS in the 15th General Election (GE15) under its “big tent” approach, says Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu.

       “Pakatan will not work with traitors who have betrayed the trust and mandate of the people,” he said in a statement, referring to the three parties.

       While it was important for the Opposition to create a united front in the coming elections, he said it was not possible for Pakatan to work under the big tent approach with parties in the ruling government such as Umno, Bersatu and PAS.

       He added that the “traitors” included politicians who jumped ship from Pakatan to join Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional because of the offers made to them at that time.

       Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, however, said it was not appropriate to label PKR as traitors when its then deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali defected from the party in the Sheraton Move, which led to the collapse of the Pakatan government.

       The Sheraton Move was a week-long political impasse that saw the exit of Bersatu and 11 MPs from PKR, triggering the collapse of the Pakatan Federal Government.

       It later led to the formation of the Perikatan Nasional government in February 2020.

       Mohamad said it was also unreasonable to call parties such as Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, Parti Warisan and Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) as traitors, for the “betrayal committed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Bersatu”.

       He said that it was important for the Opposition to be united as it works towards fulfilling its responsibilities towards the people by working for victory in GE15.

       Mohamad also said Pakatan should work to win and not allow itself to be defeated in GE15.

       He was referring to former PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, who said that Pakatan would have a tough time in GE15 and may lose many seats.