The present crop of Selangor PAS lawmakers have always been faithful to party president Abdul Hadi Awang and will continue to be, said Selangor PAS leader Iskandar Abdul Samad.

This can be seen, he claimed, from the loyalty displayed by PAS' 13 legislative assembly members towards Hadi's insistence on retaining Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor menteri besar during the "Kajang move."

"Despite the pressure and the cajoling, two wavered but 13 others did not," said Iskandar, who was among the 13, in a statement today.

He dismissed suggestions that some PAS lawmakers fear losing their positions if they do not cut ties with the party, because such risks were greater during the height of the "Kajang move".

"The 13 lawmakers continued to be loyal although there was a real chance that PAS would withdraw from the state government.

"If they were worried about their positions, they would have followed the footsteps of Ulu Kelang (Saari Sungib) and Morib (Hasnul Baharuddin)," he said.

Speculation about defections from PAS were reported by The Malaysian Insight on Dec 23, prompting a string of denials from the party.

The report claimed that Selangor PKR has been instructed to prepare to accommodate the defectors, who were said to be unhappy with PAS' direction.

PAS is currently part of the PKR-led Selangor government, although both parties no longer have formal ties at the national level.

PAS leaders have repeatedly stated that they will field candidates across Selangor in the coming general election, setting the stage for a three-way clash between PAS, BN and Pakatan Harapan.

In a separate statement today, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man warned party members to prepare to face more slander as the general election draws near.

He said the priority for the party's leadership and members were to focus their attention squarely on election preparations.