Parti Amanah Negara has criticised PAS for confusing the party’s grassroots when its president Abdul Hadi Awang was prepared to advise the Terengganu government.

“How can you advise an enemy?” asked Amanah’s vice-president Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

Mujahid said members were always told that PAS is a political party, which needs to win seats in order to seize Putrajaya.

“This is something very fundamental.

“PAS members were always told that the party needs to call for more effective reforms in the country, not to be an adviser to BN or Umno,” Mujahid told Malaysiakini .

The Parit Buntar MP was responding to Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman, who had reportedly said on Nov 6 that he would consider appointing Hadi as the BN state government's adviser.

Hadi had said PAS was willing to cooperate with Umno on admininstrative issues, that the party wants to advise Umno and not topple Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Ahmad Razif said PAS had shown willingness to open its doors to start collaborating with BN-Umno.

Mujahid said this latest stance showed that PAS was very confused about its struggle, but this was made worse with the party confusing its own grassroots.

'Be clear'

He asked why would PAS want to become a political party in the first place when it now wants to play an advisory role to BN-Umno.

“You (PAS) may just as well be an NGO which just gives advice; there would then be no need to talk about seats or winning elections,” Mujahid said.

“Don’t pull members by saying PAS is a political party but then the next day, say what is important is not seats, and that PAS can play an advisory role,” he added.

“Be clear about what you want - whether you want to win seats, or join Pakatan Harapan or merely want to be an adviser to the Terengganu government,” Mujahid said.

He also confirmed the explosive remark by former PAS vice-president Husam Musa who has alleged that Hadi had tried to form a unity government with Umno in Selangor.

The Salor assemblyperson, who is still a PAS member, claimed that Hadi admitted to this move (having PAS and Umno form a government in Selangor).

Mujahid said this was ‘an open secret’ but was not exposed earlier by former PAS members who left to form Amanah as it was an ‘ethical issue’.

“But since the devil is already out, people may as well know the truth,” Mujahid said.

“The revelation comes from a senior PAS member. He did not join Amanah,” he added.

He said it was true that Hadi himself had admitted to the move of PAS forming the unity government with Umno in Selangor.

He added that this was the reason why the 18, known as ‘progressive’ PAS leaders, left the party after losing in the internal polls in June.

“We did not keep quiet when we were in the party, we discussed the matter in the central committee but we left when we could not change things inside,” Mujahid said.

Solid backing

The question of PAS forming a unity government with Umno in Selangor arose during the Selangor menteri besar debacle last year, which finally saw PKR deputy president Azmin Ali being installed as the new menteri besar.

PAS had 15 seats in Selangor then but after the Selangor MB crisis, this was reduced to 13, when two of its assemblymen left to join Amanah this year.

The duo - Hasnul Baharuddin of Morib and Saari Sungib of Hulu Kelang - had disagreed with Hadi’s opposition to PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail being MB.

The DAP, which had cut ties with Hadi over his move to table amendments to the federal constitution to allow hudud to be implemented in Kelantan, had also solidly backed Wan Azizah.

However, it is unlikely that PAS and Umno could form a unity government in Selangor as both parties only have 27 seats (PAS 15, Umno 12), unless it is able to pull three additional assemblypersons from PKR or PAS.

Both PAS and Umno would have then obtained 30 seats to form a simple majority in the 56-seat state legislative assembly.

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