KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 10 -- When PAS delegates began arriving at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur last night for Umno's annual assembly this week, the gesture drew more than polite greetings from party members.

For some Umno delegates, the presence of PAS delegates was a sign that the idea of Malay-Muslim unity was gaining ground again.

For others, it was a matter of returning a courtesy after Umno representatives attended PAS's muktamar last week.

But even those who played down the symbolism acknowledged that the appearance of PAS figures at Umno's biggest annual gathering carried a different weight this time, coming after Umno and PAS-backed cooperation in Johor and Negri Sembilan and as Melaka emerges as the next electoral test.

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