Tuan Ibrahim says PAS prioritises unity, dismisses 'Taliban state' claim

The cooperation between PAS and Umno will not lead to ethnic conflict, assured the Islamist party's deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

He also denied a DAP lawmaker's claim that Malaysia would turn into a Taliban state should the two parties emerge successful in the 15th general election.

“Nobody has declared war on anyone, and no one is out to create polemics between the races.

“There is no need for us (PAS) to say what will happen. PAS wishes to guarantee that we will prioritise unity and harmonious living of the people.

“PAS and Umno will not turn the country into a Taliban state,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

On March 8, DAP deputy secretary-general Nga Kor Ming told a ceramah audience that Malaysia was at risk of becoming like Afghanistan under Taliban rule with the Umno-PAS union.

This was echoed by Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Chong Chieng Jen yesterday, who said this eventuality is possible if both parties work together and win the next general election.

Chong said the cooperation between Umno and PAS constitutes a threat not just to Pakatan Harapan, but to the entire nation.

In response, Tuan Ibrahim questioned why the collaboration was being viewed as extreme.

“For decades, nothing has happened although we (PAS) were in (power in) Kelantan,” he pointed out.

“DAP need not fear. PAS was once in the government with BN. Political challenges are greeted with political challenges, not wars and attacks,” he added.

The Islamist party joined BN in 1974 before it exited the coalition three years later. - Mkini