YOURSAY ‘Does Pakatan speak with one voice or is it working at cross purposes?’

 

Don't pressure us, friend, PAS tells DAP

 

Ketuanan Rakyat: PAS should decide what is good for them. What president Abdul Hadi Awang did regarding the Selangor MB matter did not reflect what had been agreed at Pakatan Rakyat meetings where PAS was represented by other leaders.

 

If Hadi is sick, he should step down and allow his deputy to take over until the party elects a new leader. Then there would be no issue about Hadi acting differently from what Pakatan has decided.

 

Jiminy Qrikert: PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar is right. Hadi should not be pressured into attending Pakatan meetings.

 

The rakyat need to understand Hadi's current dilemma. He cannot attend any Pakatan meeting at this point because he is able to visualise the response of the other attendees as he makes his entry.

 

Foremost in everyone's mind will be the thought, “here comes the bloody treacherous hypocrite in white robes, a bigoted MCP who cannot accept a woman as MB. Better watch out what this double-crossing snake says and does.”

 

Even though he keeps quiet most of the time as he has no real intelligent thought under his serban he knows that now, everyone will think he is busy scheming his next double-cross.

 

He is also afraid that at some point, the rest may just throw their shoes at him out of disgust for his treachery in Selangor. So, he rather feint ill-health and stay away than to have his heart fail out of extreme shame and embarrassment.

 

Thus, the twisted logic by the PAS leadership. Hadi won't attend Pakatan meetings and won't surrender his authority to someone else to make decisions for PAS at these meetings but they instead claim DAP is harassing them in calling for Hadi's presence.

 

Unless he openly states he empowers his proxy and guarantees non-interference, no one will believe the PAS representative attending the Pakatan meetings can make decisions that are binding on the party.

 

But then again, Hadi's words are worthless and cannot be trusted. Didn't Hadi announce that PAS was not interested in the MB’s post but subsequently submit two PAS names for the post?

 

Quigonbond: Mahfuz is missing the point. When DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng did not attend, and someone else attended on his behalf, and decisions were made, he didn't disown or back down from those collective decisions.

 

If Hadi cannot attend, and he has delegated to someone to attend, he should not back down from, or disown those decisions, such as one about Kajang move. That's the crux of the issue.

 

Kim Quek: Yes, the issue is not whether any leader is attending or not attending the top leadership council meeting. The real issue is the commitment of the parties - once a decision is made, all the component parties must abide by it, irrespective of whether certain leaders are present.

 

In the case of PAS, Hadi happens to be the only decision-maker who can overturn decisions made by other party leaders as he thinks fit, including those made by PAS’ representatives at the Pakatan leadership council meeting.

 

Therein lies the crisis of Pakatan, which is practically paralysed now unless Hadi turns up in future meetings.                                                                           

Liew Lean Kut : Indeed, it is not about attending Pakatan meeting or not, it is about the president refusing to honour the decision at the meeting which was attended by those supposed to represent PAS.

 

The PAS president had publicly said that he can even overrule the decision of its own central committee. What is the point of the PAS representative attending the meeting if at any time its president can renegade on the agreement reached at the Pakatan meeting?

 

Proarte: If Hadi is too ill to attend meetings then he should simply resign. Does Pakatan speak with one voice or is it working at cross purposes?

 

If it does not speak with one voice then it has no right to present itself as an alternative to BN. PAS wants to set up an Islamic state and is hotly pursuing its hudud agenda in cahoots with Umno.

 

How can DAP have any self-respect and commitment to its much-touted 'principles' if it does not present PAS with the ultimatum that it will pull out of Pakatan if PAS persists with its hudud and Islamic state agenda?

 

These are not trifling issues and there is no point pretending that an Islamic state and a secular state can sit side by side.

 

It is a reflection of the cynicism and lack of principle of Pakatan politicians who project a 'united' Pakatan which is patently unstable and working against each other. The rakyat deserve better but are unfortunately let down by self-serving opposition politicians. 

 

Fair Play: Hadi is trying his best to salvage his 'loss' of face. The only way out is for PAS to leave Pakatan. But to leave would force them on the defensive. So, the next best thing is not to attend any Pakatan meeting until both PKR and DAP lose their patience and boot PAS out.

 

Then it would give the ulama faction the definitive reason to join forces with Umno going into GE14. The ball is now in the court of PAS liberals such as Mohamad Sabu and others.

                                                                                       

Hello: If PAS president does not attend presidential meetings of Pakatan and he sends representative, then whatever is decided during the council meeting must be adhered to by all parties of Pakatan.

 

If PAS cannot adhere to the decisions of the Pakatan council meetings, then it is better for it to leave the opposition coalition now, rather than put a spoke in Pakatan’s wheels.

 

Anthony John: Indeed, what's the point of attending meetings if you do not have a mandate to make decisions, and decisions made can be overturned by party superiors?

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