UNASHAMEDLY, Pas has done an about-turn and left the Selangor menteri besar in a lurch. How do Islamic principles reconcile with this very public show of pecah amanah (breach of trust), a principle of paramount importance to any religion and even secular normative values? Pas must justify its position or forever lose the people’s confidence. Only voters blinded by an unquestioning allegiance — mostly because the party purports to champion Islam — will not see the error of Pas’ ways in this instance. Obviously, political expedience and opportunism won the day. They want power at all cost. And, given this deplorable act, which surely is abhorred by Islam, would they not put politics before God if Pakatan captured Putrajaya? Because why support Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, when the controversy ultimately stabbed him in the back after his assurances to the sultan of Selangor that he still commanded the majority in the state assembly?
Unprincipled and blatant dishonesty describe the party that once was satisfied with the performance of Khalid, happy enough to state it publicly, or will we be told that it had been misquoted? Lies would come naturally from the mouths of “leaders” who have no notion of putting public interest before PKR’s infighting. It makes one wonder what the rationale is for this volte-face. Has the leadership lost control of its younger members who, all along, have sided with PKR? This Pas faction has little concern for truth, preferring to go along with allegations against the MB, who is now fighting to uphold his integrity. An obvious lesson from Khalid’s unfortunate experience is that Pakatan is a lie and is full of liars. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission must quickly investigate the dossier against the MB put together by his former party and either vindicate him as the victim of fitnah (false accusations liable to cause unrest) or damn him, as the case may be. This is important for the people of Selangor and beyond.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest-serving former prime minister, blames the Selangor fiasco on the ambitions of PKR’s de facto head. Tracing it from the failed “Kajang Move”, this is the most plausible explanation. After all, the attack on Khalid began after his intransigence to stay in office and make way for a woman — who, by her own admission and actions, lacks the wherewithal to lead. And, for defending the interests of Selangor, he was peremptorily expelled from the party. He is seeking redress via the Registrar of Societies. Khalid is, too, seeking to delegitimise any notion of a Pakatan government because the grouping is not a registered entity, which means the battle is not over. And, thanks to Pas’ unreliability, the sultan is being put in a predicament. Politics is reputedly a dirty game made so by the lust for power. That Pas is sacrificing its credibility for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s lust is a tragedy of historic proportions.