New Straits Times

‘PKR RESIGNATIO­NS WILL NOT AFFECT KELANTAN ADMIN’

Resignatio­n of PKR members will not interfere with running of state, says Pas deputy chief

- NOR AIN MOHAMED RADHI AND KALBANA PERIMBANAY­AGAM KUALA LUMPUR news@nst.com.my

PAS is optimistic that the state government’s administra­tion in Kelantan will not be affected if political appointees from PKR give up their posts.

Pas deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the situation in Kelantan was different from that of Pas’ executive council members in the Selangor government.

He said any decision on three Pas exco members in Selangor would affect the structure of the state administra­tion.

“Whereas in Kelantan, the resignatio­ns of (PKR members) will not affect the state administra­tion,” he said yesterday.

Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah yesterday said there were 75 political appointees from PKR in various positions, including six parliament­ary and state constituen­cy supervisor­s, 39 municipal and district councillor­s and 14 village headmen.

On Tuesday, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had reportedly ordered its political appointees in the Kelantan government to resign.

The directive followed Pas’ decision to sever its tahaluf siyasi (political cooperatio­n) with PKR on May 11.

Tuan Ibrahim said the Kelantan government had decided to allow the political appointees from PKR to keep their posts until the next general election.

“However, it all depends on whether they choose to resign.”

On the position of the three Pas exco members in the Selangor government, Tuan Ibrahim said Pas would wait for a decision from Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddi­n Idris Shah.

It was reported that the sultan had yet to receive an official statement from the state government on the position of the three members.

The three are Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad, who is the housing, building management and urban settlement committee chairman, Zaidy Abdul Talib (state infrastruc­ture, public amenities and agro-based industry) and Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi (Islamic affairs).

Meanwhile, Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) deputy president Salahuddin Ayub said the party respected PKR’s decision to end the tahaluf siyasi with Pas.

He said the call for the immediate resignatio­n of PKR members in the Kelantan government should not only be compliment­ed, but also emulated by other parties.

“This decision shows that PKR is serious and chooses to withdraw from state government positions with dignity.

“This is the gentleman’s way. Now, after the tahaluf siyasi has ended, it is up to Pas.

“Are they going to hold on to their posts in Selangor or act with pride?” he said at PAN’s headquarte­rs in Taman Wahyu here yesterday.

Salahuddin said Dr Wan Azizah’s call for PKR members to resign from their posts in Kelantan should serve as a lesson for others to follow.

“We believe that the decision was made collective­ly. PKR seems to be serious about going ahead and facing the general election without Pas in the opposition pact,” he said.

Pas officially ended its 18 years of cooperatio­n with PKR, with the Syura Council deciding that the move was necessary to defend the party’s Islamic agenda.

The Syura Council, Pas’s highest decision-making body, had reportedly accused PKR of breaching many terms of its conditiona­l cooperatio­n with Pas.

 ??  ?? Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man
Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man

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