Pakatan consensus ‘useless’ unless Islam profits, PAS rep says

(Malay Mail Online) – The political consensus between PAS, DAP and PKR in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is pointless unless it benefits Islam, Selangor PAS has said amid rocky relations in the opposition pact over the Selangor mentri besar crisis.

Selangor PAS commissioner Iskandar Abdul Samad also accused PR of largely ignoring the Islamist party and only making use of it during mass protests and general elections.

“A consensus (tahaluf) is useless if it doesn’t benefit Islam,” Iskandar said in a speech at a Selangor PAS Youth meeting on Sunday.

His quotes were uploaded on Selangor PAS’s Facebook page yesterday.

“Don’t just use PAS during demonstrations and general elections, but ignore PAS after that,” he added.

PAS has a strong grassroots machinery that typically comes out in full force during mass rallies and elections.

The Islamist party refused yesterday to allow its remaining 13 of 15 Selangor assemblymen to sign statutory declarations supporting PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor mentri besar.

The PR opposition pact appears to be on the brink of collapse again following PAS’s refusal to sign statutory declarations supporting Dr Wan Azizah.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua has said that it may be time to reflect on PR’s purpose and existence and questioned if the coalition would still exist in the next general election.