A former PAS central committee member said he was hoping for a more “mature” response from president Abdul Hadi Awang on PAS leaders and members seeking new alliances outside the party, instead of saying that they would “ drown ”.

Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa felt that Hadi had “belittled and looked down” on those who wished to seek new ventures outside the party, as if they were a “sinking ship or mosquitos”, when he issued the open letter to PAS members.

Mujahid said Hadi had also dismissed PasMa (Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia), formed by disgruntled PAS members, who now plan to form a new political party.

“I suppose any president of any party would act in the same manner but I was hoping that Hadi's response could be more mature, and that he would respect anyone’s democratic rights to form new party or alliances,” Mujahid ( photo ) told Malaysiakini .

“If I were the president, I would express hope that we can work together with this new party, if we agree on the big picture. We should work with others for the common interest of the people,” Mujahid said.

“But unfortunately it came out from the mouth of the president who belittles the democratic rights of PAS members,” he said.

“He did not just belittle, but looked down upon them as a sinking ship, and like mosquitos.

“I cannot blame Hadi as he seems very complacent in what he has now, as he said it in a very comfortable manner. So let him have the right to say what he wants to say,” Mujahid said.

G18 is seeking new alliances

Mujahid, deemed one of the 18 PAS progressive leaders dubbed the group of 18 (G18), was asked to comment on Hadi’s view on PAS leaders and their supporters seeking shelter in new parties after they were defeated in the recent muktamar in Selangor earlier this month.

In the muktamar, PAS delegates also accepted a motion, without debate, by the ulama council to sever ties with DAP. This spurred DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to declare that Pakatan is “dead”.

The G18 is seeking new alliances and mulls cooperating with DAP and PKR in the coming days, in an entity which was briefly described by DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok ( photo ) as “ Pakatan 2.0 ”.

This meeting, held at PAS Tumpat MP Kamaruddin Jaafar's residence in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night, comes after PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim called for a “reorganised and stronger” opposition, since Pakatan has died.

Mujahid explained that the plan for a realignment of individuals and groups would focus on the “big picture” of the changing political landscape of the country, with the old Pakatan in mind.

“It is premature to say, whether it would be a political party or a platform. The bigger picture must be very clear before we can understand the implications of such a realigning,” Mujahid said.

“The big picture is to see BN sink but the task at hand is also to replace the federal coalition with a better system and more formidable policies and governance,” he added.

Mujahid said a new coalition of sorts is inevitable as the opposition cannot single-handedly defeat BN or form a new government in any national election.

"The coalition can be in many forms, either formed after the election result or on the eve of a general election," he said.

He added that the new entity could also form a more structured and formalised alliance that has its own terms of reference and constitution, like the BN.

New generation frustrated with BN

On whether the new entity, if formed, would find itself in three-cornered fights with PAS,  Mujahid dismissed the question as “too premature to venture into a very delicate matter like this”.

“That is very technical and involves strategy. Let's be clear first about the philosophical understanding of what we are doing. We must have a clear vision before we can even agree on the big picture,” he said.

Mujahid was asked if Malaysians were ready for such a development, after facing two disappointments - the break-up of Barisan Alternatif in 2001, and more recently, the “death” of Pakatan.

“We have no choice,” he replied, saying that the group has received feedback that the new generation is very frustrated with the current BN regime, which is riddled with a series of alleged financial scandals.

“This frustration has sparked the urgency to see who can come to save Malaysia, and put it back on the right track.

“So, this is the best time to share this hope (of a new alliance) with the people, so that they can understand things in their own language,” Mujahid said.

“We have not been stagnant (although defeated in the muktamar), but constantly moving as the political landscape too is fast changing.

“Just like when there is a big bang and earthquake, things change, or when a part is sick, we have to get rid of it before it becomes cancerous,” he stressed.