If Sultan insists PAS to be Selangor MB

A DAP member from Subang

It is what it is today.

In this Selangor Menteri Besar debacle, PAS loses the Chinese support. Meanwhile, DAP loses any advancement it has done to change the Malay perception towards them over the past six years following the open ‘derhaka’ rebuke by Sultan Selangor on its decision to follow Anwar Ibrahim’s move in naming only Wan Azizah as the sole candidate to replace Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor Menteri Besar.

There’s no point looking back to blame whoever and whatever that brought Pakatan Rakyat to this point.

Every party in Pakatan Rakyat took a bet, and now, they are paying the price of the bets. Maybe there are the rewards to be reaped in the future.

As a DAP member, I do know that I want to move forward. It’s getting nowhere if no ones want to make a compromise move.

The people are fatigued. I am also fatigued.

Now, let’s look ahead.

What if Sultan insists PAS to be Selangor Menteri Besar? What will DAP do?

Is DAP going to fight it to prolong the crisis along with PKR, or goes alone without PKR, to support the PAS Menteri Besar to end the crisis once and for all?

If push comes to shove, I opine that it is better for DAP to nominate the person from PAS they can work with, rather than leave it open for the Selangor palace to choose.

I humbly suggest DAP, with 15 state assemblypersons, to nominate their own preference from the pool of 15 PAS state assemblypersons to be next Selangor Menteri Besar, if Sultan Selangor wants to give the opportunity for PAS to lead after PKR destroys its own chance.

DAP’s benefits

With PAS, DAP has been able to penetrate mosques and kampungs. When Umno and Perkasa launch attacks on DAP leaders using religion as a weapon, PAS has always been there to neutralise the attacks.

Malaysians have been waiting for decades for DAP and PAS to work together as a united front against Umno-BN. Their dream came true when the people forced them to work together in Selangor by giving them a victory in 2008.

So, please don’t let this political cooperation end just because the disagreement on Wan Azizah to be Khalid’s replacement.

If Sultan insists on a PAS Menteri Besar, DAP should take the initiative to be part of the Selangor government by being with PAS, instead of allowing the impasse to continue and the opportunity open for PAS-Umno’s cooperation.

Avoid the situation where Muslims and non-Muslims are further divided into government and opposition. This will be catastrophic to Malaysia.

I believe PAS doesn’t want to be with Umno either. But they cannot stop Umno from supporting a PAS Menteri Besar using the 12 state assemblypersons they have. Only DAP can stop that from happening, by being with PAS.

After the ‘derhaka’ label thrown at PKR and DAP, I finally understand why PAS is doing what it is doing. I cannot imagine what will happen to PAS if the same ‘derhaka’ label being thrown at the party which rely heavily on the support of the rural Malays for its survival. It will be suicidal for them.

DAP will survive, but their good efforts and initiative in gaining the support from the Malay community is as good as gone.

Of course, PAS has its shortcomings and flip-flops in this Selangor Menteri Besar’s crisis. Some of its leaders’ actions are quite damaging to the party’s reputation among the non-Muslims community.

That’s all the more reason why PAS and DAP need to stay together!

It’s time to heal

To defeat BN, PAS and DAP need each other and need to be together. Being with PKR alone will not do it for DAP. PKR will follow DAP, so there’s no worry about PKR not being with DAP.

With 15 state assemblypersons, DAP can make the situation right, in their own terms.

Unless the Sultan and PKR can come to an agreement on someone else other than Wan Azizah from PKR, I strongly suggest DAP to recommend former PAS Selangor commissioner Dr Rani Osman as its preferred candidates (from the information I gathered from Hannah Yeoh and Ng Suee Lim about Dr Rani’s character, views and his personal Facebook about his works).