PAS vice-president Iskandar Abdul Samad has confirmed that there is an internal directive for party leaders to refrain from commenting on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's offer to PAS to join Umno in building Malaysia.
"Yes, only the president can issue a statement (on this issue). This is normal practice for political parties to avoid confusion," Iskandar said in a text message to Malaysiakini today.
It was reported yesterday that PAS has ordered all its leaders not to comment on the ties between Umno and PAS, following Najib's speech to the Umno general assembly, in which he made the offer.
"I have been contacted by the president regarding Najib's speech.
"The president has instructed that all leaders at every level of the party's wings and chapters in the states and federal territories are not to issue any statement in response to Najib's speech today (yesterday).
"Wait for a statement from the party's highest leadership," reads the statement by Hadi's political secretary Ahmad Samsury Mokhtar.
'Grassroots will not forgive Umno'
However, Iskandar said that he still stands by his words on Tuesday, when he had said Najib was merely "daydreaming" about a collaboration between Umno and the Islamic party.
Accusing Umno of committing numerous "sins" towards PAS, he had also said that the Islamic party's grassroots members would not forgive Umno.
"I stand by what I said. I only cannot comment on Najib's latest speech," Iskandar explained.
Najib had offered to work together with PAS to build the nation in accordance with real Islamic doctrine in his policy speech at the opening of the Umno AGM at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
He also expressed happiness that PAS was no longer in the new opposition party pact. -Mkini
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