PKR insists new Pakatan needs PAS
(Malay Mail Online) – The new Pakatan Rakyat (PR) cannot defeat Barisan Nasional in the next general election if PAS is not included in the opposition pact, top PKR leaders said today.
They urged all opposition parties to put aside their differences and to work towards forming a strong, viable federal coalition before the 14th general election.
“No party (in the coalition) can decide unilaterally. We must put aside our differences, we are facing a major crisis,” PKR deputy president Azmin Ali told reporters when met after a press conference at the party’s headquarters here.
Azmin said PKR is adopting an “open” approach on the matter and will do its best to keep a healthy working relationship with PAS.
“We are open to all individuals, we are very consistent in PKR.
“We are meeting all parties, DAP, Amanah and president says she will meet PAS… it is a process,” he added, referring to PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Earlier at a press conference here, Dr Wan Azizah said that Malaysians should give opposition parties “time” to sort out their differences.
“Give us time to work it out. we want them to come (onboard the new PR) including the members of PAS… anybody not only PAS, also Sabah and Sarawak people to come (join us),” she explained.
Yesterday, DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh demanded Azmin make a clear stand on whether his party will continue to work with PAS as this will determine the makeup of the new opposition coalition that will replace the now-defunct PR.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said Azmin cannot simply dismiss concerns raised by DAP’s leadership over the latter’s apparent preference to continue working with the Islamist opposition party.
“PAS had severed ties with the DAP in no uncertain terms. There can be no question of working with both DAP and PAS at the same time as common sense would dictate there no longer exists a working relationship between the two,” Ramkarpal said in a statement.
Ramkarpal said Azmin, who is also Selangor mentri besar, must consider the “harsh realities” of working with PAS, which the DAP leader claimed would “very likely” contest against its two former partners come the 14th general election.
Ramkarpal claimed further that it was PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who was responsible for the breakup of PR and the recent mass exodus from his own party of so-called progressive leaders, who have gone on to create Parti Amanah Negara.
The DAP man stressed that Abdul Hadi even said that PAS will not take part in a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and that PAS members are not barred from joining a September 16 counter-rally to the Bersih 4 demonstrations over the past Merdeka weekend.
