Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called for his party and long-time rival Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) to merge, saying it was a mistake "to fight each other".

The radical move reflects how far Malaysia's once-dominant party Umno has fallen just six months after the May general election that toppled it from power.

Umno and PAS share a bitter history, including PAS calling its rival "infidel" for working with non-Muslim parties.

A demoralised Umno today has been hit by lawmaker defections and faces a shortage of funds.

Zahid made the merger call at a meeting with PAS leaders, including its president Abdul Hadi Awang. In his speech after Zahid spoke, Datuk Seri Hadi did not respond to the merger offer.

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