Mujahid Yusof Rawa of Amanah says any Pakatan Harapan weakness in dealing with PAS would be far more worrying than the threat of three-cornered fights in GE14.
PETALING JAYA: Amanah has told Pakatan Harapan (PH) to stay firm in rejecting electoral cooperation with PAS while urging PKR not to drag the opposition coalition into its factional squabble over continuing talks with the Islamist party.
Amanah vice president Mujahid Yusof Rawa said meeting with PAS on the pretext of avoiding three-cornered contests was no longer relevant since PH had decided against cooperating with PAS in the 14th General Election (GE14).
“The success of PH in convincing voters with a united voice will remove concerns over the issue of three-cornered fights,” said Mujahid, a former leader of PAS and current MP for Parit Buntar.
According to him, the firm stand of PH on the issue of ties with PAS would ease voters’ misgivings in deciding to support the coalition.
Mujahid’s statement came amid a widening rift in the top leadership of PKR over the party’s relationship with PAS, even though the Islamist party is not part of PH, which is seeking to go to the polls using a common symbol.
PKR deputy president Azmin Ali recently admitted to holding “informal talks” with PAS but claimed he did so only on the instructions of his party.
His actions did not go down well with some PKR leaders, including vice president Rafizi Ramli, who yesterday exposed a serious split over the issue among members of the party’s political bureau.
On Monday, the PH presidential council held a meeting attended by top leaders of component parties PKR, DAP, Amanah and PPBM, and decided to reject cooperation with PAS heading into the polls.
Before this, several PAS leaders had spurned cooperation with PKR or PH, and even announced it would take on PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) in three-cornered contests in GE14.
Analysts have predicted three-cornered fights would give the advantage to BN as it would split opposition votes. However, political observers have also pointed out that BN’s votes could be divided as well because of the formation of PPBM.
Mujahid said a wavering stand by PH was more worrying than the possibility of three-cornered contests, and this could cause disappointment among opposition supporters.
“Many are disappointed with PAS for trifling with the priority of voting out a kleptocratic BN government,” he said.
“Three-cornered contests are going to be a reality which can be faced by PH by firmly rejecting the flip-flop attitude of PAS in opposing Umno/BN,” he said, while referring to the Umno-PAS ties as a “dark relationship”.
“PH is dead serious about ending the rule of BN and bringing in political renewal,” said Mujahid.