Muhyiddin chairs Ikatan meeting amid PN chairmanship tiff

PAS leaders were noticeably absent as the Bersatu president meets the heads of parties under the loose Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat alliance.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin chaired the meeting which was joined by leaders of Gerakan, MIPP, Urimai, Pejuang, Putra and the Malaysian Advancement Party, among others.

PETALING JAYA:

 Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin chaired a meeting of the loose Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR) alliance today, amid the ongoing tiff with PAS over the Perikatan Nasional chairmanship.

Muhyiddin was joined by leaders of Perikatan Nasional components, including Gerakan president Dominic Lau and Malaysian Indian People’s Party deputy president S Subramaniam.

However, PAS leaders were noticeably absent although the Islamic party is also a part of IPR.

The others who attended included Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir, Urimai secretary M Satees, Putra president Ibrahim Ali and Malaysian Advancement Party president P Waytha Moorthy.

When contacted, one of the leaders who attended the meeting said PAS leaders were simply unable to make it for the meeting, but leaders of several other parties were also absent.

“The meeting was a normal one, the first IPR meeting for this year,” he told FMT.

He said they discussed the importance of the opposition putting up a united front to face Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, particularly in the Melaka and Johor state elections that are looming.

Further discussions on IPR’s way forward will be discussed in the future when all party leaders are present, he added.

IPR also comprises Berjasa, Muda and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party, or Iman.

The meeting comes ahead of another gathering of presidents of the four PN components, Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan and MIPP, slated for 8.30pm tonight at Muhyiddin’s residence.

Members of the media have already started gathering for the hotly anticipated meeting, as PN continues to dither on the issue of its chairmanship.

Muhyiddin relinquished the post on Jan 1 but his successor has yet to be appointed by the PN Supreme Council. A Supreme Council meeting meant for tonight was cancelled after Muhyiddin called for the PN component presidents to meet.

In a leaked letter, Muhyiddin later claimed that Bersatu and PAS had agreed to abolish the PN chairman’s post as part of the coalition’s restructuring during a meeting at his home more than a week ago.

The former prime minister said they also agreed that the presidential council headed by Bersatu would be the highest decision-making body in PN, while an executive council led by PAS would handle the administrative aspects.

However, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man denied Muhyiddin’s claim, saying the matter was not even discussed during the meeting on Jan 16.

In a separate letter sighted by FMT, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the party’s stand was that the presidential council would only be an advisory body, with the Supreme Council to remain as the coalition’s executive decision-maker. - FMT