KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 -- Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has pushed back against calls for his party to leave Perikatan Nasional (PN), arguing that PAS - not Bersatu - should be the one to step away from the coalition after choosing to end political cooperation between the two parties.

FMT reported Muhyiddin saying said Bersatu, as a co-founder of PN, could not be forced out of the coalition and retained every right to remain. "If a party decides to cut ties, it is usually the one that leaves the coalition," he said, pointing to PAS's past withdrawal from Pakatan Rakyat and Bersatu's own exit from Pakatan Harapan.

Muhyiddin likened the situation to disagreements within a shared "house", saying it was illogical to demand that Bersatu ...