Tok Mat: Pact spells disaster for DAP
‘Party is trying to destroy PAS-Umno alliance because it would bring trouble to them’
SANDAKAN: The PAS-Umno pact spells disaster for DAP, and that is the exact reason why DAP is trying its best to destroy the opposition alliance, says Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
“Whatever comes out from the mouths of Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, and other DAP leaders is to destroy the PAS-Umno pact because they know that this cooperation is a disaster to them.
“I’m referring to the party, not the people. To DAP because they have been poisoning the minds of the people, that’s why they can even say it was a declaration of war against the non-Malays,” he said after a ceramah at Bandar Letat Jaya here on Wednesday.
Mohamad was responding to Kit Siang, who earlier said that a victory for Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in the Sandakan by-election would mean “a victory for Umno and PAS”.
Mohamad accused DAP of poisoning the minds of the people.
“That’s why they claim that the Umno-PAS pact is a declaration of war against non-Malays. That is wrong,” he said.
Guan Eng had previously been quoted as describing the Umno-PAS union as a declaration of war on non-Malays.
Shortly after drawing flak over his remarks, Guan Eng corrected his earlier statement, which originally used the words “declare war on non-Malays”, to a warning that the political pact would “target non-Malays”.
Mohamad said there should be no issue surrounding the Umno-PAS alliance as DAP had once cooperated with PAS during the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat.
“PAS at one time was a part of Pakatan Rakyat. We didn’t say anything. They also cooperated with Parti Amanah Negara, which is a PAS splinter party. We didn’t say anything,” he said.
Mohamad said Sabah Umno was assisting PBS in the by-election campaign in its capacity as an opposition bloc.
“If there are other by-elections in Sabah, Umno will contest. So we hope that PBS, Sabah STAR and other parties will assist us as well.
“This is an understanding we have developed as an opposition bloc,” he said.
PBS had been given the green light by other opposition parties, including Barisan Nasional, Sabah Progressive Party, Sabah STAR, Usno and PAS to challenge DAP in the by-election.
Tomorrow’s by-election is set to see a five-cornered fight between DAP’s Vivian Wong, Datuk Linda Tsen of PBS and three independent candidates.