Mahfuz greets new year by bidding farewell to PAS
PETALING JAYA: Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar will start the new year by leaving his old party, PAS, claiming this was due to its difficulties in working with DAP and PKR.
Mahfuz said he had sent his resignation letter to PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan at 11.59pm yesterday.
The one-minute gap between his exit and midnight, Mahfuz said, was to allow him to “take a deep breath” before stepping into the new year.
Announcing his decision to quit PAS after 34 years in a live video shared on the Amanah Kedah Facebook page, he claimed that contesting in the general election was not his priority at the moment.
“I believe Pakatan Harapan has chosen its candidates and this is its prerogative.
“I will help anyone to ensure victory for Pakatan,” he said.
In late October, PAS said it had decided to drop Mahfuz as an election candidate for Pokok Sena.
Mahfuz has been the Pokok Sena MP for PAS since 1999 except for the four years after he was defeated by the Barisan Nasional candidate in 2004.
Mahfuz also denied rumours that he had been pressured by PAS grassroots to quit the Islamist party.
“I took a long time (to quit) because I was hoping that PAS could join the Pakatan Harapan grand coalition,” he said, adding that he decided to resign because his efforts in bringing the two together were futile.
He said he had also tried to convince PAS grassroots that it was all right to pledge support to Pakatan without being vocal about it.
“So, I decided to quit to send a stronger signal to PAS members that it’s okay to support Pakatan – whether openly or silently by joining any of its parties,” he said.
Also exiting PAS is Mahfuz’s wife and daughter, who will quit the party in a few days. His son left PAS a year earlier.
Mahfuz is believed to be estranged from his party colleagues, often siding with Pakatan, which PAS has disassociated itself from.