Tun Faisal denies Bersatu played down PAS’s role in ‘exploring political change’

PETALING JAYA: A Bersatu leader has rubbished claims by PAS that Bersatu played down the Islamic party’s role in “exploring political change” and objected to the admission of new Malay-Muslim parties into Perikatan Nasional (PN).

In a Facebook post, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said such accusations were false, and that PAS had only itself to blame.

Tun Faisal said PAS objected to admitting Malay-Muslim parties into PN, contrary to claims by party president Abdul Hadi Awang.

He said decisions by PN’s Supreme Council were based on consensus, and that PAS leaders in the council had opposed Pejuang’s admission into the opposition coalition.

He also claimed PAS had not agreed to allow Pejuang to contest in “its states”.

“That was how it started. It wasn’t Bersatu leaders who said ‘don’t allow Pejuang to contest in our states’. Neither did Bersatu leaders tell Pejuang to contest in Selangor. That was PAS.”

Tun Faisal also accused PAS of failing to understand the concept of the electoral pact that the PN Supreme Council had agreed to forge with parties that applied to join the opposition coalition.

He asked if an electoral pact meant rejecting cooperation with other Malay-Muslim parties and was preventing Malay-Muslim unity.

“And who prevented these parties from forging an electoral pact with PN? It was PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man himself,” he said, adding that Hadi had been given the wrong information.

Hadi yesterday accused Bersatu of playing down PAS’s “role in exploring political change” and of “making a fool” of the party by objecting to the admission of new Malay-Muslim parties into PN.

Hadi said this in explaining his party’s decision to cut ties with Bersatu.

Tun Faisal said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and the party were inclusive, and that he had invited many parties, including MIC – a Barisan Nasional component – when proposing the set-up of PN.

He said Muhyiddin also invited 10 parties to join the loose coalition later known as Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat.

“In the last five years and throughout PAS’s 75-year history, has it ever been this inclusive?”

Tun Faisal also asked how Bersatu could weaken PAS’s role in “exploring political change” when the latter’s representatives held leadership roles in PN, including the posts of chairman, secretary-general, treasurer, and information chief.

He said PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar was to blame as he had failed to manage the coalition’s affairs.

“There are a lot of internal issues that he has yet to resolve in the first 100 days, and he has been slow to make decisions. One reason is because he is unresponsive,” he said.