PAS BACKS OFF, DENIES IT IS DEFYING THE AGONG ON ANWAR’S PARDON: ‘IGNORAMUSES’ HADI & CO NOW PIN THE BLAME ON EC FOR ‘FAILING’ TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN ‘FULL PARDON’ & ‘FREE PARDON’ – EVEN THOUGH TOP LAWYERS HAVE TOLD THEM THESE ARE THE SAME

PAS’ view that Anwar Ibrahim is ineligible to contest the Port Dickson parliamentary by-election cannot be regarded as defiance against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, said PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.

He said PAS is not denying the full pardon granted by Sultan Muhammad V to Anwar under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution. Instead, what the party is questioning is the failure of the Election Commission (EC) to interpret the eligibility of the PKR president-elect to contest the by-election.

“I believe the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has acted in accordance with the law under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution. The question is whether Anwar received a free pardon under Article 48 of the Federal Constitution?

“PAS is voicing its objection over this legal issue to the EC. If the EC cannot provide a clear interpretation (of Anwar’s eligibility to contest under Article 48 of the Federal Constitution), then the EC should refer the matter to the courts before the by-election. I feel the EC is not playing its role properly,” he said at a press conference at the PAS command centre in Telok Kemang, near Port Dickson today. Also present were PAS vice-presidents Iskandar Abdul Samad and Idris Ahmad and the party’s candidate for the by-election Mohd Nazari Mokhtar.

PKR strategic communications director Fahmi Fadzil had reportedly said that PAS’ relentless questioning of Anwar’s eligibility by stating that he had not received a full pardon is in defiance of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

PAS says the Pakatan Harapan candidate had only received a full pardon under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution and not a free pardon under Article 48 (1) (e),  which allows him to contest any election.

RELATED STORY:  A full and free pardon

A recent survey by IDE shows that Anwar Ibrahim is expected to comfortably win the Port Dickson seat in Saturday’s by-election. – The Malaysian Insight pic, October 12, 2018.

Meanwhile, commenting on a survey by the Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) which forecast 74% of the voters favouring Anwar in the seven-cornered contest, Takiyuddin said the outcome of the survey was questionable.

“What IDE has done can be questioned. This is more or less similar to what Invoke had said previously, that PAS will lose badly in the 14th general election. Invoke is a sister entity of IDE; it does not reflect a convincing survey,” he said.

Besides Anwar and Mohd Nazari, the other contenders are five independent candidates including former Negri Sembilan menteri besar Isa Samad and Anwar’s former personal aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

– Bernama