Don’t hide like Najib, instruct your Penang reps to quit, Guan Eng tells PAS

DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng calls on PAS to instruct its members holding posts in the state government to quit, after the Islamist party decided to cut ties with DAP. – The Malaysian Insider filepic, June 11, 2015

PAS should stop hiding like the prime minister and instead take full responsibility for the decision of its congress to cut ties with DAP, including directing its Penang government representatives to quit their posts, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said.

The Penang chief minister today said the new PAS leadership had “clearly” lost their honour and their principles by refusing to direct their leaders to resign from the DAP-led government.

Lim added that the Penang’s PAS councillors’ “desperate clinging” onto their posts was a disgrace to the party and undermined the Penang government.

“PAS should not hide like Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is hiding from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the 1MDB scandal, but bravely bear full responsibility for killing off PR (Pakatan Rakyat), when the PAS muktamar accepted without debate a motion by their Dewan Ulama to sever ties with DAP.

“Logically PAS should then direct their government representatives to resign their posts since they are no longer part of PR.

“PAS new leadership’s refusal to direct their government representatives to resign and the embarrassing spectacle of PAS four councillors in Penang Island City Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council clinging to their posts, has devalued the dignity and honour of PAS in the eyes of the public.”

He questioned as to how the four PAS councillors could serve the state government when their party had severed ties with DAP, himself, as well as Penang DAP state chairman and Penang local government executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow.

The Bagan MP also accused PAS of “behaving like Umno”, because the new vice-president, Idris Ahmad, had said his call for the representatives to quit created a negative perception about DAP among Malays.

Lim said Idris was “relying on extremism and racism” to distract attention from PAS’s failure to justify why its leaders “are still clinging desperately to their posts”.

“It is regrettable that PAS is behaving like Umno when I had announced earlier that any vacated posts by PAS will be filled by Malays who supported the Penang state government administration headed by me,” said Lim.

But he praised former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, former PAS central committee member Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa, and Penang PAS Information chief Rosidi Hussain for relinquishing their posts in Penang.

“These are PAS leaders with principles, who support the Penang state government not because of post but out of their passion to serve the people.”

PAS has maintained that it is up to the representatives to relinquish their posts, as the muktamar’s motion to end ties with DAP, which was adopted without debate on Saturday, is not final.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali said the motion had to be reviewed by the Shura council and the newly-elected central working committee.

However, Mujahid has argued that any decision made by the muktamar should be final, as the congress is the highest decision-making body in the Islamist party.

Mujahid, who is Penang PAS deputy commissioner, told The Malaysian Insider the Shura council and central working committee would probably discuss how to implement the severance of ties with DAP, rather than how to revert it.

- TMI