[UPDATED] PAS feels disturbed by Dominic Lau’s snubbing: sec-gen

KUALA LUMPUR – PAS today tendered its apology over the humiliating treatment meted to Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau, emphasising that his selection as the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for Bayan Lepas was made with the approval of the party’s highest leadership.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan expressed that the party feels disturbed by the incident which had involved Lau and certain members of PAS in Penang.

He called on all members and supporters to accept the selection with an open heart as it had been conducted in the proper prescribed manner.

He said the leadership is aware of sentiments at the grassroots level following Lau’s nomination for Bayan Lepas which is a Malay majority constituency in Penang. 

“However, PAS believes that if the decision is made with the approval of the party’s top leadership after going through all the processes and passing the set conditions, then members and supporters need to accept it openly,” he said in a statement. 

He added that the members and supporters need to trust in the party’s leadership headed by president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang. 

“I call on relevant PAS members to realise that continuous protests and actions against party interests will likely not only create an atmosphere of disharmony in the Perikatan Nasional coalition, but also challenge and question the wisdom and appropriateness of PAS president’s own decisions.”

The statement was in an apparent reference to the incident during the ongoing campaign for the Penang state election. Gerakan and PAS are both allies in PN, alongside Bersatu.

Lau was seen in a viral video clip being shooed away from a recent rally organised by PAS in Sg Dua, Tasek Gelugor.

Iszuree Ibrahim, the chief of PAS’ Bayan Lepas division, could be seen telling Lau to “go away”. 

It has been reported that Iszuree was originally slated to contest in Bayan Lepas for PN.

Takiyuddin said that although Lau was later reported to have denied the claim that he was told to leave, he wished to express on behalf of PAS’ central leadership that Lau should have been accepted and appreciated at the event as a guest, as this would have been right morally and according to Islamic principles.

“Moreover, Gerakan is also a coalition partner in PN and he (Lau) himself is a candidate in the ongoing state election and should be given due and reasonable respect,” he said.

He stressed that PAS, like other parties, is aware that coalition politics tends to cause dissatisfaction, disappointment and so on, especially on issues related to the distribution of seats or the selection of candidates for seats.

He cautioned that the current political environment is tainted by chauvinistic and extremist narratives. 

As the oldest and largest Islamic party, PAS believes it is responsible not only to point the way towards mature and moderate politics but also to provide help and protection to those who need it, he said.

Based on that premise, he said, PAS views Lau and his party’s leadership as needing such help and protection.

“PAS hopes and urges all members and supporters of the party and PN to focus on the state elections that we are facing, thus putting aside for the time being the smaller things that can weaken the joint effort to achieve success that will enable us to achieve greater and meaningful success.” – The Vibes, August 4, 2023