Selangor PAS will carry on as usual
State party leader will uphold trust of people in Pakatan, sees no problem with DAP
(Free Malaysia Today) – Selangor PAS remained unperturbed today despite adoption of a general assembly motion to end relations with the DAP, its partner with PKR in the three-party state coalition government.
Party vice-president Iskandar Abdul Samad, a Selangor executive councillor, said: “We will carry on with our work. We have a responsibility to the people, they chose us because we carried the name of Pakatan Rakyat,” he was quoted as saying.
“If we resign or allow this issue to disturb us, it means we are betraying the hopes of the people,” he said, according to Malaysian Insider.
His remarks were in sharp contrast to Mohamad Sabu of Penang, who was defeated when seeking re-election as deputy president. Mat Sabu announced at the general assembly’s closing session that he was giving up two board positions in Penang government companies.
Mat Sabu said he was stepping down in compliance with the motion, sponsored by the party’s ulama, who are offended by the DAP’s opposition to enforcement of hudud criminal penalties in Kelantan.
A slate of ulama-backed candidates swept all seats but one in elections to the party’s central committee, defeating Mat Sabu and others viewed as being friendly with the DAP and PKR.
Iskandar, who was in the ulama-slate, said he did not know why the clerics had raised the motion. It did not reflect the feelings of Selangor PAS, and the state party had no problems in working with DAP or Pakatan Rakyat.
Malaysian Insider said he would not speculate about what Selangor PAS would do should the party’s supreme decision-making bodies, the Shura council and the central committee, do decide to end relations with the DAP.
PKR, which holds 14 seats, heads the Selangor coalition, with deputy president Azmin Ali as menteri besar. The DAP and PAS have 15 seats each while the opposition Barisan Nasional holds 12. A withdrawal of PAS from the coalition would leave a hung assembly or cause the Selangor government to fall.