The spat between DAP and PAS seems far from abating.

 

The latest to enter the fray is DAP parliamentarian Teo Nie Ching who today slammed PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali for saying his DAP counterpart Lim Guan Eng is “not qualified” to sit in Pakatan Rakyat’s top leadership .

 

Teo said Mustafa’s remark was “totally unacceptable” and “uncalled for”.

 

She points out that Lim does not sit in Pakatan’s top leadership in his personal capacity.

 

“His presence in Pakatan’s top leadership is due to the fact that he is the top leader of DAP, a leader that was duly elected by the delegates of DAP,” said Teo in a statement today.

 

The Kulai MP therefore said that to reject Lim in Pakatan’s top leadership is to reject DAP from Pakatan.

 

“…Which makes me wonder: why is Mustafa is so eager to see a break of Pakatan?” she said, adding that this was not the first time PAS leaders had criticised the top leaders of its allies.

 

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang during the Selangor menteri besar crisis had said that PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was “unfit” to be the Selangor MB.

 

‘Why make personal attacks in public’

 

Teo, meanwhile said although Hadi and Mustafa had, on a number of occasions said that they do not have the intention to leave Pakatan, their actions show otherwise.

 

“If Hadi and his secretary general cherish their allies in Pakatan, why would they make such personal attacks openly in the first place?” she asked.

 

On Mustafa who said that a debate between him and Lim was needed as it involved the issue of integrity, Teo said the right place to resolve the “manufactured” dispute is to have it thrashed out at a Pakatan Rakyat meeting.

 

“PAS, PKR and DAP must return to the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council to resolve all the differences before we disappoint all the supporters.

 

“I concur with the view of my comrade (Bukit Bendera MP) Zairil Khir Johari that a public debate between Pakatan leaders will only play to the profit of BN,” she said.

 

Meanwhile, Bernama today reported Lim calling off a press conference when reporters repeatedly asked for his response over Mustafa’s debate challenge.

 

Reporters had asked Lim several times for his response to the challenge by Mustafa and Lim kept repeating, “Is there any other question?”.

 

When they persisted, Lim called off the press conference with a 'thank you'.

 

Subsequently, he spoke on other matters, among them the impact of the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST).