The leaders of both PAS and Umno have declared that their party would walk into Putrajaya through the "front door".

Speaking at the Pahang Umno AGM today, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (photo, second left) dismissed suggestions of a "back door" to allow his party back to power.

"If we are strong and united, people will come knocking on our door. We don't have to look for them.

"If there are negotiations, do it when we are strong. Negotiations, when we are weak, is a way to dump us into the sea," he said.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (photo, second right) told a PAS-Umno rally last night in Kuala Terengganu that the two parties will walk through Putrajaya's "front door" if they cooperate and not fight among themselves.

"God willing, we will enter Putrajaya through the front door, through elections.

"God willing, (the) cooperation (between PAS and Umno) will succeed," he said.

Talk of a "back door" government resurfaced following Pakatan Harapan's claim that Umno's Hishammuddin Hussein was attempting to engineer a new federal government without DAP and Amanah.

Following this, 18 PAS MPs and six from Umno declared support for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to serve out a full term.

Officially, Umno is part of the BN coalition with MCA and MIC. However, it is also part of a partnership with PAS known as Muafakat Nasional.

Meanwhile, Zahid said Umno can become strong once again if it can become a "third force".

"We can become the third force... There are 40 (MPs) from Umno and BN if we are united. Then there are 18 from PAS. God willing, 18 from Sarawak, nine from Sabah and five more will join us.

"They will join us. We don't have to look for them," said Zahid. In sum, Zahid's numbers came up to 90.