‘PAKATAN WON’T RETAIN SELANGOR WITHOUT PAS’
Islamic party has strong base in the state, says Selangor Umno deputy chief
PAKATAN Harapan will not fare well in the 14th General Election (GE14) without the support of Pas.
Selangor Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chief Datuk Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan said PKR and DAP were not strong without Pas’ support.
“The opposition parties will definitely lose without the support of Pas. DAP and PKR saw success in the 2008 and 2013 general elections because they had Pas.
“Without Pas, most voters of the Islamic party will no longer vote for Pakatan. Pas, being an older and large party, has established a strong base in the state,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Pakatan Harapan is made up of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (PAN).
Mat Nadzari said the fact that Pakatan decided to cease coop eration with Pa s showed who held the power in the pact.
“It’s funny that at last they (Pakatan Harapan) decided to break away from Pas. PKR had been very adamant to be with Pas. Yet, this happened.
“It shows DAP is sort of the big brother in the party. The other component parties have to kowtow (obey) to DAP’s demands.
“PKR and its members seem to be directionless. They don’t even know who their leader is, whether it is Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.”
Mat Nadzari said BN leaders would focus on winning back the state.
“We do see a bigger opportunity for BN to win, following the internal crisis and bickering among Pakatan leaders.
“But, we have to focus on our plan and how we are going to execute it instead of discussing the problems and issues of Pakatan.”
Selangor Umno Information chief Datuk Zein Isma Ismail shared Mat Nadzari’s sentiments, saying the absence of Pas would only weaken Pakatan’s position and chance of winning GE14.
“Pakatan Harapan needs Pas to win GE14, since Pas has a large number of Malay supporters.”
He said Anwar’s move of wanting to mend ties with Pas showed the PKR de facto leader’s lack of confidence in PAN to attract Malay voters.
“Although PAN leaders were once Pas members, DAP has more control and influence in the party.”
Pas had formally cut ties with PKR in May to defend the party’s agenda.
Pas said PKR had failed to support its Islamic agenda, such as the Private Member’s Bill to boost the syariah courts, attacked the Islamist party and made hurtful accusations.
In the 2013 General Election, the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat won 44 state seats to continue helming the state government. Pas and DAP held 15 seats each, with PKR (14).
However, political turmoil in the state has since seen changes, with Pas left with 13 seats, DAP (14) and PKR (13).