PKR to be peacemaker after PAS’s motion to cut ties with DAP

KR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail says the party will act as peacemaker for PAS and DAP because Pakatan Rakyat must hold together. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, June 7, 2015.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lynchpin party PKR today said it would “negotiate” with its partners to save the coalition from self-destruction, one day after PAS in its contentious assembly passed a motion to cut off ties with DAP.

PKR said it was aware people were counting on PR and the two-party system to bring change to the country, and cited the results of the recent Permatang Pauh and Rompin by-elections as proof.

“Hence, Keadilan will continue to be the mediator (penghubung) to defend the aspirations of the people, who want to see Pakatan Rakyat retained.

“The leaders of Keadilan will negotiate with the leaders of PAS and DAP soon,” said PKR in a brief statement signed by its communication director, Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi delivered the statement to waiting journalists outside the party’s headquarters, where PKR’s central committee were meeting to discuss PR’s fate.

After over four hours of meeting, PKR President Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, emerged from the building and told reporters that “we want (PR) to be together.”

She said she planned to meet DAP and PAS leaders in Parliament tomorrow to discuss this.

“The rakyat have chosen Pakatan Rakyat, so they see it as an alternative. In our mind, and our feeling when coming to elections, we have to have a two-party system which is good for the country.

“So now we want the concept of PR to hold. So we as PKR want to show that, you know, let us work together.”

When asked whether PAS's pro-PR splinter group Pasma would join PR, she merely said: "Pasma is an NGO. We would have to meet with them to discuss that."

PAS's Dewan Ulama or clerics' wing passed a motion for the Islamist party to cut ties with DAP at its annual congress on Wednesday.

‎The motion was also adopted – without debate – by the larger PAS body at its congress yesterday, and some delegates reacted angrily at being bypassed.

The motion will be presented to the party’s Shura Council and the Central Committee, which will make the final decision on the matter.

The clerics' motion is seen a tit-for-tat in response to DAP's move to sever ties with Hadi earlier this year over his leadership and insistence on hudud, while otherwise maintaining ties with PAS.

In its muktamar, PAS saw its ulama and conservative faction make a sweep of almost all top leadership posts, alienating other "progressive" leaders keen on maintaining strong cooperation with PR and increasing non-Muslim support.

The PAS muktamar concluded yesterday with emotional speeches by a few of these progressive leaders, and also deep concern from them, as well as among the grassroots, that PR would now fall apart.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang even declared PR dead yesterday, and said that all that remained to be done were "funeral rites" for the seven-year-old coalition formed.

- TMI