The future of the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government will hang in the balance should PAS decide to withdraw from the coalition.

Whether or not Selangor will remain in the hands of Pakatan, albeit with a razor-thin majority, depends on two PAS assemblypersons - Saari Sungib and Hasnul Baharuddin.

The latter indicated that he will not toe the party line should PAS decide to withdraw from Pakatan.

Hasnul ( photo ) told Malaysiakini that he will defend the Pakatan state government even in the event of a hung legislative assembly.

The Morib elected representative said the people of Selangor have given the mandate not only to PAS, but PKR and DAP as well and the mandate should be respected by all assembypersons.

"I will continue to defend the Pakatan government in Selangor because that is the mandate given by the people," he added.

Won't quit

However, Hasnul insisted that this does not mean he will leave the Islamic party.

At present, he said, PAS is still part of Pakatan and there has been no decision made to sever ties with DAP and PKR.

"Is it not to say I would quit the party.

"We would wait and see the development over this (Selangor) issue," he added.

Saari ( photo ), on the other hand, could not be reached for comment.

Hasnul and Saari, the Hulu Kelang assemblyperson, locked horns with the PAS leadership when they broke ranks and supported PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Selangor menteri besar during the state leadership crisis.

After the sultan’s intervention, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali took over the reins following Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's dismissal from the party.

Hung Parliament poser

Currently, PAS and DAP have 15 seats each while PKR has 13, excluding Abdul Khalid, who is now an independent assemblyperson.

There are 56 seats in the state assembly, thus 29 seats are needed to form a government with a simple majority.

Should all PAS assemblypersons withdraw, DAP and PKR will only have 28 seats.

Even DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng appears to be pining his hopes on the two PAS assemblypersons while conceding that a hung assembly and snap polls are possible.

"In Selangor, the two PAS assemblypersons supported Wan Azizah so this doesn't mean that if Pakatan dissolves, the Selangor government will collapse," he said.

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