Pas threat rattles partners
(NST) – The threat by Selangor Pas to review its position in Pakatan Rakyat has got its partners to immediately play down the issue and give assurances that the coalition is stable.
The DAP believes the Selangor Pas' intention to review its position in the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat was only held by a few leaders and not the general view of its members.
State DAP chief Ean Yong Hian Wah said the party had a very good working relationship with Pas and there were no problems between them.
He said the statement by the Pas state secretary should not be taken as the party's stand and the issue should not be blown out of proportion.
"There is no threat to the coalition. We are okay. No problems among us."
The executive councilor said in light of the many comments coming from many people, he said it was best that all parties cool down and stop making further comments.
"We don't want someone to say something that will further aggravate the situation."
Yesterday, Pas caused a major shock when its state secretary Mohd Khairuddin Othman issued a statement saying Pas was ready to review its role in PR if that was what some elected representatives wanted.
His statement came after Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad and Klang MP Charles Santiago said Pas State commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali should leave PR if he could not agree with their policies.
Hasan was also described as a thorn in the flesh by other assemblymen as he constantly undermined and questioned the state government and its policies.
However, some quarters in Pas have taken the criticisms heaped on Hasan as being against the party.
His latest action was to question the proceedings of the select committee on competency, accountability and transparency (Selcat).
The Selcat had recently called up district officers and their staff on a probe to find out how Barisan Nasional assemblymen used up their RM500,000 annual allocations within the first two months of last year. The allocations are disbursed through the district offices.
Hasan came to the defence of the district officers saying they had behaved professionally and were merely carrying out their orders.
He also criticised the line of questioning by Selcat and accused it of treating them like schoolchildren and bullying them.
Meanwhile, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has categorised the issue as an internal party problem as it was best that the party dealt with it internally.
Playing down the issue, he described it as merely a miscommunication between Selcat, the executive council and the district officers. He will be chairing a round table meeting between all interested parties on Monday. He said the meeting would allow everyone to raise their concerns and seek clarifications on the matter.
"I am also confident that all parties are professional enough to understand the scope of responsibility that each of them holds and that they are able to work as a team."
