PAS, which has become the DAP's current arch enemy, after Umno, took a beating in the Penang DAP convention at Bayan Baru today.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said DAP has been able to survive this long because it is able to differentiate friends from enemies.

He said DAP has also been able to differentiate between principles which are permanent and friends who are not.

He added that the DAP is proud that it has never joined BN and "neither do we confuse our role as an opposition party to BN by wanting to become BN’s adviser".

"And yet there are some so confused as to how BN has played them out, cheated them and even oppressed their members and leaders mercilessly in past, that they still yearn to be working together with Umno and BN," said the Penang chief minister.

Lim was referring to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for saying he was prepared to advise BN. Hadi and PAS had been accused of sleeping with the enemy (Umno) for such moves.

PAS was accused of defending Prime Minister Najib Razak who is embroiled in the 1MDB and RM2.6 million donation scandals, when Hadi said four witnesses were necessary in proving his guilt, as he demanded the same for PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy conviction.

DAP has also taken members in PAS to task for abstaining from voting down Prime Minister Najib Razak's 2016 Budget, which would have been a symbolic message of no confidence against his leadership.

Ties severed

Pakatan Rakyat fell apart after PAS severed ties with DAP at its muktamar in Selangor in June. PAS suffered a split to with 18 of its progressive leaders led by Mohammed Sabu quitting the party to set up Parti Amanah Negara.

Lim then announced the Pakatan Harapan state government in Penang on Sept 23, and went on to purge PAS members - except for the party's sole assemblyperson Salleh Man - from the state administration, local councils and village development and security committee (JKKKs).

Meanwhile, Lim paid tribute to all party members and leaders, past and present, for their sacrifices, and who had never stopped believing in DAP.

"You have make us proud and together we shall work harder as one team to make you and the people of Penang hold your heads up with dignity," Lim said.

"Whatever the challenges, we, the present state leadership, government leaders in Penang, Parliament and state elected representatives believe that together we shall overcome and succeed in Penang and Malaysia, because of one important character of DAP – we are clean and not corrupt!" he exclaimed.