SHAH ALAM: The idea of Selangor-only cooperation between Pas and Pakatan Harapan for the next election is illogical, said Parti Amanah Negara (Pan) info chief Khalid Samad.
He said such a move would only confuse the people and in the end, do more harm than good.
Khalid, who is Shah Alam MP, said Pas must have a clear stand and accept Pakatan Harapan policies should it want to cooperate with the latter again.
Commenting on Selangor Pas opening its door to work with its former allies to face 14th general election in the state, Khalid said it would be an unreasonable move to have the parties working together in one state, but attacking each other at the national level.
“Whether there is tahaluf siyasi or not, in a coalition or not, all sorts of cooperation must be based on mutual understanding and agreement.
“But now, if Pas sees DAP and Pan as the enemy of Islam, how are we going to be able to work together? How are we going to support each other if we continue to attack each other every day?
“If Pas really believes that Umno and Barisan Nasional are their enemy, they must be willing to retract all their accusations and statements attacking DAP and Pan, as well as PKR and PPBM (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia), not only in Selangor but also at national level,” he said when contacted on Saturday.
Yesterday, the NST Online reported that Selangor Pas has hinted that its door is still open for discussions with DAP and PKR for the parties to face the 14th General Election together.
Newly-minted Selangor Pas commissioner Sallehen Mukhyi said the political demography in Selangor was unique, where Pas, PKR and DAP had managed to work together to face the 12th general election in 2008 based only on mutual understanding.
Khalid said the aim for cooperation among opposition parties was to form a government (at Federal and state levels), and thus require commitment from all member parties.
He said the Pakatan coalition was not only about winning seats, as the people wants to know the direction of the coalition before deciding to give their votes.
“If they cannot commit with no certainty on whether they want to be with Umno and BN or with Pakatan, how are we going to cooperate?
“We would not know where Pas wants to go if we win the election. If they can give their commitment, have mutual understanding to make the cooperation work, then, it would be easy for the people to decide.”
Meanwhile, in a contrasting response, Selangor PKR said they welcomed the readiness of Selangor Pas to leave the door open for discussion.
Its information chief Shuhaimi Shafie said a statement such as Sallehen’s helps to strengthen the stability of Selangor as a welfare state, and further proves that it is the most unique state in political cooperation, superseding such efforts at the national level.
“Before Pas at central level announced the end of tahaluf siyasi with PKR, we had several series of discussion with Selangor Pas leadership.
“Even after the tahaluf siyasi was severed, we still continued to have discussions with Pas assemblymen in Selangor, albeit unofficially, to find how we can work together for the upcoming 14th general election,” he said in a statement.
Shuhaimi, who is also the political secretary to Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, said Selangor PKR would play their old role during the Barisan Alternatif years in planning and opening doors for discussion, and to find a common ground so that they can retain their hold of the Selangor state government.