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PAS Youth rejects call for beer demo by Umno Youth

SHAH ALAM: The strained relationship between PAS and DAP in Selangor may be improving with PAS Youth saying they would not participate in any kind of joint demonstration with their counterparts in Umno over the issue of beer sold in Muslim majority areas today.

“We will not entertain any overtures by Umno,” said state PAS deputy youth chief Ahmad Zaidy Abdul Mutalib who added they were aware Umno was trying to exploit the issue to drive a wedge between the Islamic party and the majority Chinese DAP.

Hostility erupted between the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners three days ago when Pas Commissioner Datuk Hassan Ali called for his executive councilor (exco) colleague Ronnie Liu to be stripped of his local government portfolio over the mishandling of the issue.

Hassan Ali alleged Liu had breached protocol by directly reprimanding enforcement officers from the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) for seizing beer from a 7-Eleven outlet located near a surau in Section 8.

However, Liu denied issuing the order and said the move to return the beer was made because local government officers have no legal authority to seize the beer in the first place.

The Pandamaran state lawmaker had also said the seizure was initiated by an MBSA officer who is an Umno member and the move may have been an act of political sabotage.

Selangor PAS Youth today also accused Umno of starting the controversy in the first place.

“We believe this issue can be resolved amicably by Selangor PR.”

He said PAS Youth was outraged at first with what they believed was an act of interference on the part of Liu and a memorandum was sent to him three days back.

“However, we stress the issue of selling beer openly is not a result of any policy made by DAP or Pakatan Rakyat but failure on the part of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) state government.

“Our problems with DAP are only administrative technicalities and can be resolved.”

MI
07/08/09

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