Guan Eng: Pas will not pose serious challenge in GE14
GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng yesterday dismissed the possibility of Pas mounting a serious challenge in the 14th General Election (GE14).
He said he believed that the election would be a two-horse race between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan, with no possibility of Pas winning.
Lim, who is also Pakatan Harapan deputy president, said the Islamic party had no ambition to form a new government, hence they could lose votes.
“Pas is contesting for the sake of contesting. Their political direction has changed from opposing BN and Umno to working tacitly with them.
“Their supporters also want a change of government. They have their own hardcore supporters but they will face losses everywhere, even the likelihood of losing Kelantan looks real.”
He was responding to a question whether Pakatan Harapan would be facing a deficit of votes following the decision of its leadership not to work with Pas in the coming general election.
Lim said three-cornered fights would not only be detrimental to Pakatan Harapan, but also affect Pas and BN.
“Looking at our analysis, there is everything to play for. With Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad leaving Umno and forming PPBM (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), they could also lose votes while Pas can only get Umno votes,” he added.
Meanwhile, in an immediate reaction, Penang Pas publicity secretary Iszuree Ibrahim dismissed Lim’s claim.
He said a private research centre had revealed that more people were turning to Pas than PPBM and Parti Amanah Negara (PAN).
“The research showed that there were 20,000 new Pas members.
“Whereas, PPBM and PAN only had seven per cent of that number in terms of new member registration.
“Without Pas, Pakatan Harapan will have a tough time gaining support from the Malay community,” he said.
Iszuree also cited the Auditor General’s Report, which stated that the Kelantan government was doing a better job than other state governments.
“Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are prime examples of the good we can bring to this nation.
“In Penang, we have seen numerous controversial issues happening... even Lim himself is facing corruption charges.
“This indicates the lack of good governance in comparison to Pas’ leadership,” he said.