After mooting ceasefire, PAS now says willing to walk alone if Islam compromised
(MMO) – Just a day after calling for a ceasefire among the opposition parties, PAS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man touted today his party’s willingness to handle the next general elections alone if it has to compromise on its Islamic stand.
In a statement, Tuan Ibrahim stressed that PAS would only work with political parties which upheld Islam, and would not compromise on this.
“History has proven that PAS is willing to go it alone when PAS’s values are questioned and opposed by its coalition allies,” he said, referring to the disputes within opposition parties over the Islamist party’s push for the implementation of the Islamic penal code, or hudud.
Tuan Ibrahim said that economic injustice and inequality in the country can only be effectively addressed if Malaysia adopted an Islamic form of governance.
“The problem that is affecting this country is a direct effect of when the country’s system is not managed by the system which was handed down by the creator of man, God,” he added.
The PAS deputy president touted Kelantan as the party’s success model, saying that despite its financial and economic setbacks, it was a good example of a corruption-free state.
“As stated by the PAS president, till this day there have been no PAS leaders who have been arrested for corruption in the entire time the party has ruled over Kelantan, Terengganu and Perak as well as PAS’ councillors in Selangor compared to other parties,” he said.
“There have been no restrictions imposed on non-Muslims with regards to the adherence to their own faiths and customs in Kelantan. They live in peace even though Kelantan upholds the slogan of ‘Development with Islam’ and has declared Kota Baru as an Islamic city.
“It is undeniable that there is still a lot of room for improvement but in general Kelantan is managed well,” Tuan Ibrahim said, adding that this was verified by the Auditor-General who awarded the state a five-star status for good financial accountability last year for 13 out of 18 departments and agencies.
Yesterday, Tuan Ibrahim called on opposition parties to stop clawing at each other and focus on their common enemy ― Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).
Ibrahim said that the opposition parties need to stop the infighting among each other and within their own respective parties to find a compromise in order to move forward as a united front to defeat the ruling party.
In response, Pakatan Harapan leaders have said they’re ready to discuss the possibility of teaming up with PAS, although the Islamist party and the DAP will not likely be in a formal coalition.
The Pakatan Rakyat informal opposition pact between PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat was severed in June last year over a series of disputes including PAS’s push for the implementation hudud.
