AN UMNO leader has poured scorn on PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man for recently claiming that the Islamist party will once again be part of the federal government “soon”.
Calling PAS “arrogant” and “greedy”, UMNO Supreme Council leader Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi accused the party of going against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree for political stability in the country.
“The PAS vice president said the party will soon get the opportunity to lead the federal government, and what he means is that the unity government will fall,” Puad said in a statement on Facebook on Thursday (Oct 19).
“How is that going to happen? This must be via the back door (tebuk atap) or Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) retracting their support (for the unity government).”
In a press conference after officiating at the 64th PAS Youth Summit in Shah Alam, last night (Oct 18), Tuan Ibrahim said that when PAS was part of the government, it had only 18 parliamentary seats.
Now, despite being in the opposition, it has 49 seats, outranking DAP whose 40 seats makes it the largest party in Anwar’s unity government, Tuan Ibrahim had said, adding that this is a sign that the end of being in the opposition is near.
“This is because PAS is arrogant and greedy. They have even resorted to going against the Agong’s decree. They want the Pahang Menteri Besar post, and their efforts to ‘buy’ 10 UMNO MPs had ended in failure,” Puad remarked.
“Tuan Ibrahim’s statement is frightening. The [opposition’s] efforts to take over the government through backdoor means are not over yet.”
Last night Tuan Ibrahim further expressed confidence that PAS will once again be part of the federal government, claiming that the foreign leaders he had met had told him that the country’s future depended on PAS and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
The Kubang Kerian MP’s statement, when officiating the PAS Youth muktamar, came in the wake of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks that his administration was willing to offer PAS a place in the unity government.
Anwar reportedly told Time Magazine on Oct 11 that he had indeed sent out an invitation to PAS to join the unity government last year.
According to Anwar, PAS’s answer was neither a clear rejection nor a positive response, although he gave assurance that the door for PAS to join his administration was still open. – Oct 19, 2023
Main pic credit: The Merdeka Times
