PKR president welcomes Amanah to opposition pact, after deputy opens arms to PAS

(Malay Mail Online) – PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail welcomed today PAS splinter party Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) to a new opposition coalition, even after her deputy Azmin Ali said PAS should be allowed to join the pact.

Dr Wan Azizah said she had met Amanah pro-tem leader Mohamad Sabu, who was formerly PAS deputy president before losing his seat in the Islamist opposition party’s recent election, today to discuss the common direction and guiding principles of both parties.

“We are in the right direction towards formalising the new coalition, and I will be meeting with the leadership of PAS and DAP in the next one week to discuss the same,” she said in a statement.

Azmin, who is also Selangor mentri besar, was reported yesterday by Malay daily Sinar Harian as saying that PAS should be allowed to join the new federal opposition pact, despite Amanah rejecting cooperation with PAS after a bitter internal party election that saw the trouncing of the progressives, who subsequently left PAS.

News portal The Malaysian Insider reported Azmin as saying today that PKR has yet to decide on whether the new opposition pact will involve Amanah.

The DAP has repeatedly criticised PAS over its renewed push to enforce hudud in Kelantan that had led to the breakup of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) federal opposition pact.

Mohamad said Sunday that his new party will not back the enforcement of the strict Shariah criminal law without agreement from DAP or PKR.