PAS fears coup if BN routed

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS fears a coup if the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat seizes control of Putrajaya in the next general election. Party leaders believe that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's comment on Saturday that “if Barisan Nasional doesn't win, no one can” was an indirect threat.

Commenting on the matter, PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar described the premier's remark as a dangerous threat to democracy.

"Does this mean that a riot will happen? Will there be a coup d'etat? This statement is made as if there is already a plan," the Pokok Sena MP told a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Shah Alam PAS MP Khalid Samad said Najib owed the public an explanation.

He also called on the prime minister to assure Malaysians than BN would hand over control peacefully if defeated in the polls.

"We want a direct response. If he doesn't give a direct response, it's a clear indication that they are not willing to let go," he said.

Tumpat MP and former PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaafar called Najib's statement a slap for democracy.

"It also shows they're not confident of winning," he added.

Speculation is rife that Najib would likely call for early elections somewhere in the first quarter of next year.

In the aftermath of the 1969 general election which saw BN's predecessor the Alliance losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority, a violent racial riot erupted.

While the Alliance blamed the riots on communist agitation, the opposition, however, claimed that the disorder was a high-level conspiracy to invalidate the election result.

In the 1980s, when the the opposition enjoyed a surge of voter support, the BN government led by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched an Internal Security Act dragnet, landing many opposition leaders behind bars.

However, no untoward incidents happened when the Anwar Ibrahim-led Pakatan snatched several states and denied BN its two-thirds majority in Parliament during the last general election in 2008.

Bolstered by the outcome, Pakatan leaders had since set their sights on capturing federal power.