Kit Siang: Will Pakatan still be around in GE14?

(Malay Mail Online) – DAP’s Lim Kit Siang warned again today of an imminent break-up of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) if its partners do not mend ties following the fractious Selangor political crisis, even suggesting the possibility of the pact not surviving until the 14th general election.

The veteran DAP advisor, who had witnessed the breakup of the Barisan Alternatif opposition pact over yet another conflict between DAP and PAS in 2001, said consensus-building and reaffirming PR’s common policy framework are necessary to prevent the pact from becoming a “one general-election wonder”.

“The question on everyone’s mind is whether Pakatan Rakyat will be around as a coalition to contest the 14th GE to replace the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Putrajaya?” Lim asked in a statement today, referring to the 14th general election.

“The consensus principle has now broken down as the PAS president, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, has refused to abide by the consensus reached by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council in the meetings of July 23 and August 17.

“How is the Pakatan Rakyat and the PR leadership council to function if consensus is not going to be the PR’s guiding operating principle?” questioned the senior DAP leader.

In PR’s attempt to remove Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor mentri besar over the past several weeks, Abdul Hadi had refused to nominate PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Khalid’s replacement.

The decision was an open snub by the PAS president of the decision by ally parties PKR and the DAP to name Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s wife for the job.

Adding salt to wound, Abdul Hadi even publicly criticised Dr Wan Azizah, saying she was not fit to be the next Selangor MB.

Lim also pointed to BN’s alleged attempts to sow dissension in the federal opposition pact after PR’s “worst” crisis in its six-year history ended with PKR deputy president Azmin Ali’s appointment as the new Selangor MB.

He noted that Umno-linked daily Mingguan Malaysia, the Sunday edition of Utusan Malaysia, had accused the DAP of bullying PAS, while MCA and Gerakan told the non-Malay media that PAS was bullying the DAP.

“It will be a bonus to these Umno/BN propagandists if they could get a few in PAS to believe that the PAS is being bullied by DAP and a few in DAP to believe that DAP is bullied by PAS in Pakatan Rakyat, for this will aggravate tensions and conflict in the Pakatan Rakyat,” said the Gelang Patah MP.

PR won 52 per cent of the popular vote in the 13th general election last year that saw BN’s worst electoral performance ever.