KUALA LUMPUR – Islamist party PAS is slamming the brakes on its cooperation with Barisan Nasional (BN), claiming that there is now “cloudiness” in the coalition due to unresolved bribery cases and greed for power among its leaders.
According to an article published by PAS mouthpiece Harakah Daily, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang reasoned that while some bribe receivers are victims of slander, some perpetrators of corruption still remain in the coalition.
“Bribe recipients are still in BN, and then they are careless about implementing (Islamic beliefs),” he said.
“They are Muslims who have ruled for over fifty years but they are neglectful in practising Islam,” he was quoted as saying during a lecture in Terengganu today.
He added that the “murky waters” in BN are worsened by the “impatient and power-hungry attitude” employed by figures from the coalition, leading to PAS being unwilling to keep working with it.
“BN’s eagerness to gain control pushed them to dissolve Parliament during the flood season because they want to quickly secure power while dragging PAS along with them,” he said.
“It is not that we are enemies. But because there is muddiness, we’ll put it (political cooperation) on hold for now.”
The PAS central working committee had decided at its meeting on Wednesday that the party should work with fellow components in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in facing the coming 15th general election (GE15).
This effectively put PAS’ partnership with Umno-led BN up in the air. Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had earlier stipulated a condition that PAS should quit PN before it began cooperation talks with BN.
Hadi noted that he has been urged by various quarters to reconsider his party’s stance on this matter.
“Many people from high and low positions have tried to convince me to work with BN. I told them I will think about it,” he said.
He stressed that while facing GE15 with PN will not be a walk in the park, he would rather face the challenge than hasten any collaboration with Umno, BN’s linchpin.
“If we join Perikatan Nasional, we are taking the more difficult route of rejecting bribe givers and takers. It would be easier to be with Umno, we could win faster but we are not greedy,” he said, likening the situation to the durian fruit.
“Like the durian fruit, if we harvest it too early then it will not be ripe and we will suffer from a bloated stomach,” he said.
“To avoid a bloated stomach, we have to wait for the right time. For now, the durian is still not ripe. We must be patient.”
Earlier today, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan had denied allegations that PAS’ decision to strengthen cooperation with PN means that the party rejects Muafakat Nasional, the political-cooperation pact it had formed with BN in 2019.
Following PAS’ decision on Wednesday, Zahid, who is BN chairman, announced that Umno and BN had decided to go solo to face GE15.
Zahid recently warned fellow BN leaders in his speech at the MIC congress that they could suffer selective prosecution from Pakatan Harapan’s would-be government – just as he and his predecessor as Umno president, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, have endured.
He was later criticised by various quarters for appearing to say that this was why BN needed to win the election – for the leaders to avoid being selectively charged. – The Vibes, October 14, 2022
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