KUALA LUMPUR: Perhaps PAS was never even serious about forming a unity government with Umno. It could have been a mere political statement made in an environment saturated by the image of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the big man, and his PKR the leading party in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance.
The question PAS leaders faced was whether they could handle the reality of taking a backseat to Anwar and the alliance. The sight of the relatively young PKR stealing the limelight may not have sat well with PAS either.
The DAP, on the other hand, does not appear to share the same ambivalence towards Anwar and PKR.
At least outwardly, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has not shown any problems with the idea of Anwar being prime minister of a PR federal government.
But that is not the case with the Islamist party.
In the party’s muktamar recently, PAS leaders indicated that the party did not wish to be merely a springboard for Anwar to achieve his ambitions.
So the “unity talks” idea was a way to gain political leverage, to tell both DAP and PKR that the two secular parties needed PAS more than the Islamist party needed them.
Ironically, the obstacle towards cooperation with Umno came from within PAS, from significant numbers of its own members who object staunchly against any cooperation with Umno/BN and the pro-unity party leadership has learned this the hard way.
Umno has seen this as an opportunity to split PR and launched a charm offensive, which left the opposition alliance on the back foot for the first time since last March’s general elections.
Today’s joint declaration by PR leaders in rejecting unity talks with Umno appears to have put an end to the PAS flirtation with Umno.
For now.
MI
22/06/09
The question PAS leaders faced was whether they could handle the reality of taking a backseat to Anwar and the alliance. The sight of the relatively young PKR stealing the limelight may not have sat well with PAS either.
The DAP, on the other hand, does not appear to share the same ambivalence towards Anwar and PKR.
At least outwardly, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has not shown any problems with the idea of Anwar being prime minister of a PR federal government.
But that is not the case with the Islamist party.
In the party’s muktamar recently, PAS leaders indicated that the party did not wish to be merely a springboard for Anwar to achieve his ambitions.
So the “unity talks” idea was a way to gain political leverage, to tell both DAP and PKR that the two secular parties needed PAS more than the Islamist party needed them.
Ironically, the obstacle towards cooperation with Umno came from within PAS, from significant numbers of its own members who object staunchly against any cooperation with Umno/BN and the pro-unity party leadership has learned this the hard way.
Umno has seen this as an opportunity to split PR and launched a charm offensive, which left the opposition alliance on the back foot for the first time since last March’s general elections.
Today’s joint declaration by PR leaders in rejecting unity talks with Umno appears to have put an end to the PAS flirtation with Umno.
For now.
MI
22/06/09
1 comment:
Friend, this is only "for the time being" as reiterated by PAS' Sec Gen Mustapha Ali who I regard as the main force behind the close-door meeting with UMNO (with Nasha as only the ever willing executioneer, doing Mustapha's bidding like the faithful dog he is and Hadi Awang as the spokesman).
Dont underestimate this Cikgu from PAS - he commands a lot of support namely Harun Taib, the Dewan Ulama Chief, Hasan Ali, the Selangor PAS chief and Nasruddin Tantawi, the Pemuda PAS chief (to name a few) and their retinues in the respective Dewans. Remember too that Mustapha Ali has complete control over Harakah - PAS media is therefore on the side of these UG promoters.
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