Toe the line or get out
(NST) KLANG: Pressure is mounting on Selangor Pas state commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali to leave Pakatan Rakyat for his inability to “conduct himself as a team player”.
As the fallout from Hasan’s criticism of the Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) continues, the menteri besar has also been urged to write to the Pas leadership demanding answers for Hasan’s behaviour.
Pas’ Shah Alam member of parliament Khalid Samad said if Hasan could not function as a team player in the PR government, he should do the right thing and leave.
He said the Pas leadership should also evaluate Hasan’s performance as the state Pas chief and an executive council member as he constantly raised issues that made the coalition look unstable.
| Datuk Dr Hasan Ali under pressure to leave Pakatan Rakyat |
“He should be reprimanded by the Pas leadership for his actions,” Khalid said when contacted yesterday.
He said Hasan’s statements were viewed as Selangor Pas’ stand but that was not the case as they were never discussed at any party meeting.
Hasan was in the news after he criticised Selcat proceedings. Selcat had called up district officers to explain how allocations of RM500,000 each to each assemblymen by the previous state administration had been disbursed within the first two months of last year.
Hasan had complained that Selcat was bullying and victimising the officers.
He also said Selcat should be revamped.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president and Hulu Kelang assemblyman Azmin Ali said Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim should send a letter to the Pas leadership asking for an explanation.
“He must demand an explanation on Hasan’s attitude which is contrary to the Pakatan spirit of cooperation.”
Azmin said it should also be brought up in the PR presidential council meeting.
He added that he did not know whether it was mere coincidence or deliberate that Hasan's actions, in bringing up issues such as beer sales or Selcat, came during by-elections.
The beer issue happened during the Permatang Pasir by-election while the Bagan Pinang by-election is next month.
Klang MP Charles Santiago, from the DAP, also said that Hasan should leave the coalition if he felt he could not agree with its decisions.
He said Hasan should stop playing the race card by trying to show that he was fighting for the Malays.
Santiago said Hasan seemed to be portraying himself as a Malay champion against Selcat chairman Teng Chang Kim.
Pas' Tumpat MP Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar said calling up senior civil servants to testify was normal parliamentary practice.
Kamaruddin, a second-term Parliament Public Accounts Committee member, said even ministers and the attorney general had appeared before the PAC.
"There were no complaints then.
"There is no issue of bullying or treating them like schoolchildren," added the former Pas secretary-general.
In the case of Selcat, he said, calling up district officers could be termed as normal.
PKR supreme council member and fellow state executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar said Hasan had crossed the line once too often and something must be done to stop this.
Hasan could not be reached for comment.
