Dr Kua Kia Soong - Suaram
The question that has to be asked is: Why and when did the latest fallout between DAP and PAS start? Who exactly is responsible for the destruction of the painstaking efforts to construct the 2-Front system all these years?
NGOs and concerned Malaysians should demand to know the real reasons for PAS being kicked out of the Opposition coalition. We have been told that it is because of PAS’ commitment to the Syariah Amendment Bill. Is it really? Did Nik Aziz the former MB for Kelantan not legislate the same kind of Bill in the Kelantan State Assembly in the Eighties?
Those who have followed events will know that the rancour between DAP and PAS started well before the Syariah Bill in the Federal Parliament. Already during the silly ‘Kajang Move’ in 2014 we saw the former Selangor Menteri Besar being openly maligned by lesser DAP leaders for being inept and corrupt which was the justification for his ousting as Menteri Besar.
Was the PAS President consulted about this irresponsible political move? The Kajang Move showed not only contempt for the voters in Kajang but also insensitivity toward the PAS leadership who were a part of the PR coalition.
What Malaysians saw during this Selangor Menteri Besar controversy was the contempt shown toward the PAS president not only in not being consulted from the start about the former MB’s alleged misconduct and the consequent “Kajang Move” but also in being set upon by DAP’s Rottweilers.
There was clearly a dearth of leadership in Pakatan Rakyat that allowed lesser party leaders to be publicly insolent toward the president of a component party in the PR coalition. Before long, the DAP top leaders entered the fray with the DAP Secretary General calling the PAS President “mad” and “liar” among other things in the ongoing spat between the two PR parties. The coalition was formally declared disbanded by the DAP on 16 June 2015, citing their inability to work with PAS.
For all DAP leaders’ protestations about wanting to attract more Malay members, cursing the PAS supremo is not likely to endear the DAP to the grassroots PAS supporters all over the country. I am surprised DAP leaders think that the cosmetic efforts to co-opt a few Malay leaders into the DAP leadership can undo all the damage done by continually cursing the Malay-based party supremo!
Interesting! Further reading:
