Mustafa Ali burning bridges with challenge to Guan Eng, says DAP

(Malay Mail Online) – PAS Secretary-General Datuk Mustafa Ali is driving a rift between his party and Pakatan Rakyat partners DAP by challenging Lim Guan Eng to a debate, a DAP leader said today.

DAP national organizing secretary Anthony Loke said Mustafa’s challenge makes it appear as though the two parties are enemies instead of allies.

“Is this a tactic to break up PR from within? Does his challenge represent the official stand of the party?” he asked in a statement.

Yesterday, Mustafa challenged DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng to an open debate on hudud and local government elections ― two issues that have brought the two parties at loggerheads on numerous occasions.

Lim, however, refused to comment on the challenge and instead instructed Loke to issue a statement in response.

Loke today said that the right thing for Mustafa to do is make sure all of PAS’ leaders ― including President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang ― attend PR’s supreme council meetings to discuss issues rather than challenge their partners to debates.

The Seremban MP pointed out that the PR supreme council is the best forum for discussion, especially when it comes to issues where the member parties take conflicting positions.

“This needs to be resolved in a meeting together and a debate is the last resort to discuss the issues,” he said, while noting that Mustafa had never issued such a challenge to PAS’ arch-rivals Umno.

Loke repeated DAP’s stand that the Penang state government’s efforts to return the local government elections was in line with PR’s common policy as agreed by all three parties in the alliance.

He stressed that PAS itself had agreed with the PR common policy to strengthen democracy through local council elections.

“Does the PAS secretary-general wants to give the image that PAS only agreed to that before the general elections to win support when it is not ready to commit to it?” he asked.