Rather than an open debate between PAS and DAP on local council elections, DAP's organising secretary Anthony Loke proposed today that the matter be discussed and resolved through the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council.

Loke who is also Seremban MP, said he was asked by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to respond to PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali’s challenge to Lim to debate on the issue.

“Firstly, I stress that DAP's stand is that Mustafa should ensure that the PAS senior leadership, including its president Abdul Hadi Awang, attend the Pakatan Leadership Council meeting, rather than have this open debate.

“Isn't a forum within the council more appropriate compared with a debate, since the matter involves a party's stand and not an individual stand?

“This has to be resolved together, in a meeting, and a debate is certainly the last option to discuss the matter,” Loke said in a statement issued today.

Mustafa yesterday challenged Lim to an open debate on the views of the two parties on local council elections and hudud - a move seen as driving a wedge between the two parties that could possibly result in the opposition coalition splitting up.

Mustafa accused Lim of telling "half-lies" on PAS' consent for DAP's local government agenda.

‘PAS burning its bridges with DAP’

Loke said the approach taken by Mustafa to challenge Lim to a debate is akin to PAS burning its bridges with DAP, and with the DAP being perceived as a political enemy of PAS and not an equal partner.

“Is this the beginning of the split of Pakatan? Is that the official stand of PAS,” Loke asked.

The DAP, he said, was upset by the challenge for the debate as Mustafa had never in the past challenged Umno to any debate - but now he chose to do so with the DAP.

Loke said Mustafa had violated the protocol within Pakatan by issuing the challenge as the post of secretary-general is the highest post within DAP hierarchy, compared with the PAS secretary-general, which is a post appointed by the party president.

He reiterated that DAP's stand on the local government elections in Penang was to return elections for the local councils, and this was in line with the Pakatan policy agreed to by all three parties.

    

He said PAS should be committed to abide by the Pakatan policies that have been agreed to by the PAS president and it was irresponsible of the PAS secretary-general to use the issue of local council elections to attack DAP by saying it is against the common Pakatan policy.