KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — Sensing a potential split in the opposition ranks, Utusan Malaysia said today it “pitied” PAS for being “bullied endlessly” by the DAP after the majority-Chinese party urged Kedah to revoke a ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan.
The Malaysian Insider reported today that the PAS national leadership has also asked the party-led Kedah government to brief the Islamist party’s central committee tomorrow on the rationale behind the proposed ban.
“Although Kedah is ruled by PAS, DAP still wants to interfere with the state’s administration,” Awang Selamat, the pseudonym for the Umno-owned newspaper’s editors, said today.
“Awang can see that although Lim Kit Siang has not yet even taken over the federal government, he has already shown his fangs to Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak,” added the Malay daily.
The DAP adviser recently urged the state government to withdraw the ban on 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating in the state during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Lim pointed out that his party’s Kedah chapter never agreed to the ban as the matter was not raised at the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat (PR) council level.
The MCA has also been quick to accuse Kedah PAS of violating human rights with the ban, which covers businesses such as karaoke centres and discos as well as live performances in readily accessible locations such as bars, hotels and restaurants.
Only cybercafés, bowling alleys and snooker centres are exempt as they have been excluded from the regulation.
The DAP last locked horns with PAS in January over Selangor’s proposed ban on Muslims from working in premises that sell alcohol.
The Selangor government later claimed the ban was merely a guideline before withdrawing the ruling pending further study.
“Awang is not surprised at DAP’s attitude,” said Utusan. “Since becoming the big brother in the opposition coalition, PAS and PKR have to listen to the DAP.
“Even when there is power-sharing at the state level, DAP still wants to ‘violate’ (rules on) Islamic religious matters. What more if it is fated to win federal power? Awang can see DAP’s claws now,” added the newspaper.
DAP and PAS are part of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact together with PKR that was formed after the three parties won four more states and more than one-third of the federal parliament. The three parties have applied to form a coalition but the Registrar of Societies (RoS) has yet to give his nod.
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