INTERVIEW PAS has told Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng not to be too arrogant, citing his immediate sacking of the Islamic party's representatives in the state government after the Pakatan Rakyat break-up in June last year.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man reminded Lim that DAP only controls one state in the country.

However, Tuan Ibrahim said, the Islamic party does not hold a grudge against Lim, but instead advises him not to be too arrogant.

"PAS won't hold a grudge, but we hope that we (the opposition) can reflect the kind of leadership for the future that people want to see.

"People have said that (Lim, photo , is arrogant) and he does seem arrogant. If we are arrogant like that when we have only won in one state, is that what people want to see?" Tuan Ibrahim asked in a joint interview with Malaysiakini and Berita Daily .

However, the PAS deputy president said that grudge or no grudge, the party is deeply disappointed with DAP and Lim for his decision to drop all PAS representatives from the Penang state administration.

"Privately, PAS is disappointed with what happened in Penang. We are disappointed, especially because we were with them to face the general election, together in Pakatan, but now (after) we won, the PAS people were kicked out, let go and fired from their posts," he said.

Soon after DAP unilaterally declared the death of Pakatan Rakyat , the Penang state government, which the socialist democratic party controls, announced in June last year that it would sack all PAS members from the state’s community development and security committees (JKKK).

Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mohd Rashid Hasnor was previously reported to have confirmed the drastic firing of PAS members from the JKKK in the northern, central and southern Seberang Perai districts on mainland Penang.

Tuan Ibrahim denied news reports quoting Lim saying that some PAS members, in Kepala Batas for example, resigned on their own, insisting that the Islamic party's members were sacked.

In the news report, Lim did not elaborate if the vacant posts in the committees would be filled by members from the PAS splinter and DAP-friendly Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).

DAP made use of PAS

Commenting further, Tuan Ibrahim argued that Lim's shortsighted actions were unbecoming of the kind of forward-thinking leadership that the nation wants to see for the future.

"I think it does not reflect the leadership wanted for the country's future. While it is Lim's right (to fire them), but considering that we faced it (the elections) together, PAS members still have a right, even if we hold only one seat in the state," he lamented.

Asked whether Lim's decision hinted that the DAP only made use of PAS, Tuan Ibrahim agreed that it does seem that way.

"The PAS machinery did the work to help others win their seats. That is how people see it (as DAP having made use of PAS)," he said.

Tuan Ibrahim said Lim should instead emulate Kelantan MB Ahmad Yaakob, who he believed has done so much better in allowing those who lost in the elections to hold posts, and even appointing those from groups without any seats in Kelantan to be headmen and village chiefs.

"For PAS, we believe in a magnanimous leadership. If we oppress others, fire people, these things will make the people's perception about him (Lim) seem true," added Tuan Ibrahim.

More than just lending its machinery during elections, Tuan Ibrahim also related that PAS has been more than generous with DAP in the past, in willing to allow the socialist democratic party to contest using the Islamic party's logo in 1998.

Tuan Ibrahim said that even in 2013, when DAP faced problems with the Registrar of Societies, PAS offered its logo to it again.

He also reiterated that PAS was not at fault for what happened to Pakatan, as the party holds true to the advice of its former spiritual leader, the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, not to allow disunity to stem from the party's actions.

"It did not begin from PAS, others started it," claimed Tuan Ibrahim.

PAS, along with PKR and DAP, formed Pakatan Rakyat in the run-up to the 2013 general election, though things went bad on their political cooperation after inter-party relations soured.

Among the main issues souring the coalition was the disagreement between PAS and DAP over the Islamic penal code hudud, as well as arguments over PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's failure to turn up for meetings of the coalition’s top brass.