‘PRIMITIVE’ PAS GETTING MORE BACKWARD & RACIST BY THE DAY: AS THOUGH MALAYS STUPID ENOUGH TO RESPECT YOU FOR SAYING GUAN ENG SHOULD BE FIRST TO BE SACKED WHEN HE IS ONE OF THE BETTER MINISTERS – ZAID MOCKS ‘IMMATURE’ PAS NO.2 FOR ‘SELECTIVELY IGNORING THE ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM’

Zaid Ibrahim has defended DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng amid a PAS leader calling for his head to roll as finance minister.

He said the opposition has no business dictating which minister should be retained or otherwise.

According to the former minister, the reasons cited by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man do not hold water and questioned if the latter’s stand was motivated by race and religion as opposed to facts and figures.

“Sowing hatred against Lim is uncalled for.

“How would Tuan Ibrahim feel if we say he should not be the deputy president of PAS?” the DAP member told Malaysiakini this evening.

Zaid said Tuan Ibrahim should provide concrete reasons to lend credence to his call for Lim’s removal instead of making frivolous claims.

“Personal attacks are primitive. In fact, Lim (photo) is one of the better ministers in Harapan,” he added.

Furthermore, Zaid said if Tuan Ibrahim was sincere in his evaluation of Harapan ministers, then he would acknowledge that those from Bersatu have not lived up to expectations.

“Tuan Ibrahim should not be selective and ignore the elephant in the room just because PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has pledged his undivided support for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also the Bersatu chairperson.

“As the leader of a party which prides itself in upholding Islamic principles, sincerity should override political expediency and favouritism,” he added.

Yesterday, Hadi pledged that all 18 PAS MPs would back Mahathir in the event of a vote of no confidence.

Describing the 94-year-old prime minister as someone who grows wiser with age, he said PAS considered Mahathir as the best person to save Malaysia and therefore should serve until the end of his term.

The spotlight landed on Mahathir’s leadership after Pakatan Harapan was trounced in last Saturday’s Tanjung Piai by-election, with certain quarters urging the premier to pass the baton to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

Earlier, Tuan Ibrahim (photo) cited online polls, where an overwhelming number of respondents purportedly wanted Lim removed.

The PAS leader also noted how the finance minister had a penchant for pinning the blame on the previous government despite Harapan being in power for 18 months.

He also claimed that DAP was one of the factors for Harapan’s defeat in Tanjung Piai.

Commenting on this, Zaid said while he agreed that Harapan should move forward, he said it cannot be denied that the previous government left a gaping hole in the public coffers and saddled its successor with a colossal debt.

“I don’t think any finance minister from PAS or Umno would fare any better under these circumstances.

“As for Tanjung Piai, if DAP is one of the factors, then what about Mahathir? Why is Tuan Ibrahim silent on this?” he asked.

Yesterday, Mahathir said he is considering making changes to the cabinet following the outcome of the Tanjung Piai by-election.

mkini