IS DAP SUFFERING FROM SWINE FEVER?

PAS is a difficult partner, said Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming. Nga said the arrogance and refusal of PAS to enter into negotiations with Pakatan Harapan revealed that the Islamist party was only interested in saving Umno’s skin. Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said that Azmin must decide if he would rather work with PAS or DAP since the relationship between both parties is now irreconcilable. “We do not agree with PAS joining the new coalition, we will not want to have any ties with PAS,” said DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

DAP has to decide whether they still regard PAS as its or Pakatan Harapan’s partner or whether DAP and Pakatan Harapan have already divorced PAS. One day they say they are divorced and the next day they say they are still married. It is getting to be very confusing and if you were to read the three news items below over just the last half a year you will see what I mean.

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DAP: Pakatan can no longer rely on PAS

(Free Malaysia Today, 22 May 2016) – The decision by PAS to decline Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) offer to compete in only one of the two coming by-elections shows it is becoming a “difficult partner”, said Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming.

He said the arrogance and refusal to enter into negotiations with PH revealed that the Islamist party was only interested in saving Umno’s skin.

Nga said while it was normal for any political party to enter into negotiations, the closed-door attitude displayed by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang showed the party had rejected the Opposition front.

“PAS is likely to save Umno, a party that is involved in various scandals.”

Nga, in a statement, wrote that PAS’s insistence on a three-cornered fight between BN, PH and themselves would benefit the ruling party.

“The party’s stance to refuse to negotiate (with Pakatan) .. such attitude shows PAS wants to thwart efforts to defeat Umno.

“It is a very strange political objective … rather than to win, Hadi wants to be a ‘difficult partner’.”

Due to that, Nga said there was a need for a stronger Opposition coalition since PAS was more inclined to side with Umno.

Nga said one of the ways to have a stronger coalition was to choose the best possible candidate in the upcoming by-elections in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar.

“This will give an opportunity for voters to choose the most qualified candidate to represent them in Parliament on June 18.”

Two by-elections will be held next month after Sungai Besar MP Noriah Kasnon and Kuala Kangsar MP Wan Muhammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad were killed in a helicopter crash during the Sarawak election period on May 5.

Both of them were from Umno.

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DAP to Azmin: Choose PAS or DAP

(The Star, 10 September 2015) – A DAP parliamentarian has asked Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali to state his stand on whether PKR would work with PAS if a new Opposition coalition is formed.

Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said that Azmin must decide if he would rather work with either PAS or DAP since the relationship between both parties is now “irreconcilable”.

“Azmin must decide which of the two he chooses to work with in the future as it is clear that there cannot be a realistic alliance between PAS and DAP any longer,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

He said there could be no question of working with both DAP and PAS at the same time as common sense dictates there no longer exists a working relationship between the two.

The statement comes in the wake of a war of words between Azmin and DAP assistant publicity secretary Teo Nie Ching over the Selangor Mentri Besar’s decision to work with PAS.

Ramkarpal said that Azmin’s statement was ill-advised as the tension within Pakatan Rakyat and its subsequent break-up was created by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

He said that Hadi’s actions not only sparked controversy with DAP but also with members of his own party who have come out to form Parti Amanah Negara.

He questioned why Azmin insisted on working with the Islamist party despite Hadi saying that PAS would not participate in a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and that PAS members would not be prevented from attending the Himpunan Maruah Melayu on Sept 16.

“Such a stance is capable of sending wrong signals to the rakyat who voted for a Pakatan Rakyat which included PAS in GE-13 as they were led to believe that PAS was committed to the Pakatan cause.

“Azmin cannot blow hot and cold at the same time,” said Ramkarpal, adding that Teo had every right to question on his stance.

“Azmin should also consider the harsh realities of working with PAS which will, very likely, contest against the DAP and PKR in three-cornered fights in GE-14. Surely, it would be hypocritical to back PAS in such circumstances,” added Ramkarpal.

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DAP tells PKR: we won’t join new Pakatan if PAS does

(Malay Mail Online, 18 September 2015) – DAP is putting its foot down, saying it will keep out of a new proposed opposition coalition tentatively dubbed Pakatan Rakyat 2.0 if PKR insists on having PAS in it, according to party leaders.

The DAP leaders said there is too much bad blood between the two former allies, adding that it would be impossible to work with PAS as long as the Islamist party is still led by president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

“We cannot work with PAS under Hadi Awang, unless they are prepared to depart from the various stands they have taken,” DAP Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh told Malay Mail Online.

“With the leadership of PAS right now, it is not possible,” he added, referring to the proposed new opposition coalition.

Ramkarpal said that the only way that DAP might review its resistance to PAS was if the Islamist party was prepared to adhere to common policies adopted by all other opposition parties.

PAS previously departed from PR’s Common Policy Framework with its push for hudud, which eventually led to the dissolution of the pact.

“It is better before any parties to work together, a clear framework should be drawn out and agreed to,” he added.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke concurred, pointing out that DAP’s stand on PAS has been consistent and clear ever since PR broke up earlier this year.

“We do not agree with PAS joining the new coalition, we will not want to have any ties with PAS after we broke up with them,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

Loke also sought to play down PKR’s attempts to court PAS to join the new PR, saying that discussions were still at preliminary stages.

“PAS has also got conflicting statements on whether they want to join the new Pakatan. But DAP is clear we will not join a coalition with PAS in it,” the Seremban MP stressed.

Other DAP leaders contacted by Malay Mail Online declined to comment on the matter.

On Monday, PKR urged opposition parties to cease hostilities between themselves- and after a meeting with PAS, PKR said all the four parties — itself, DAP, PAS and Parti Amanah Negara — should redirect their focus to common enemy Barisan Nasional (BN).

PKR and PAS were expected to discuss a new opposition coalition to replace the defunct Pakatan Rakyat (PR), but president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said talks are still ongoing with no conclusion anytime soon.

PAS said earlier it will remain in the opposition bloc when Parliament reconvenes next month, but has not made a decision on joining a new pact with the other three parties.

PR, comprising PKR, PAS and the DAP, broke up earlier this year over PAS’ renewed push to enforce hudud in Kelantan.

DAP has since insisted it will not join any coalition with PAS in it.