Rafizi slams PAS’ flip-flops on judiciary RCI, calls it absurd

Former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli criticised PAS over its inconsistent stance on the proposed royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into alleged interference in the judiciary, describing the party’s shifting position as politically opportunistic and absurd.

In a Facebook post today, Rafizi accused the party of flip-flopping three times within a week, depending on political expediency.

“First, (PAS deputy president) Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man set a condition that I must join their rally before Perikatan Nasional MPs would support my proposal to form an RCI.

“After facing backlash from the public, (PAS information chief) Ahmad Fadhli Shaari then said that wasn’t PAS’ position - that the party actually supports my proposal.

“A day later, (PAS secretary-general) Takiyuddin Hassan reversed again, saying the opposition rejects the proposal.

“In a week, PAS changed its position three times. This reflects PAS’ ability to deliver different verdicts depending on the situation - as long as they benefit from it,” said Rafizi.

“They’re riding the issue the wrong way, they look stupid,” he stressed.

On July 8, Sinar Harian quoted Tuan Ibrahim as saying PAS was prepared to support the RCI proposal, provided Rafizi also attended the “Himpunan Turun Anwar Ibrahim” protest slated for July 26 in Kuala Lumpur.

The condition drew flak from Rafizi, who questioned the logic of tying support for judicial reforms to a political rally.

This was followed by a clarification from Fadhli, who insisted the party had no such condition and supported Rafizi’s proposal unconditionally.

However, on July 11, PN MPs, including those from PAS, announced they could not back the call for an RCI.

PN chief whip Takiyuddin said the decision was aligned with coalition chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin’s view that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would not allow the formation of a commission to probe allegations implicating himself.

Judiciary is above politics

Commenting further, Rafizi said the issue of judicial independence should transcend political lines and be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

“Due to the opposition’s attempts to extract political mileage from the judiciary issue, it’s now the government backbenchers who are speaking up.

“The opposition is only interested in ‘tebuk atap’ (power grab) so they can become ministers again.

“It’s hard not to exploit issues when your only political strategy is to exploit. But be careful - if PAS rides the issue the wrong way, they’ll end up looking stupid,” the Pandan MP said.

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