The Malaysian Insight

PKR grassroots members have fixed the terms as the party continues to pursue collaboration with PAS in the general election, warning that the Islamist party must first show sincerity in wanting to work with the opposition, Selayang member Chee Chu Seng said.

Chee, a grassroots leader, today expressed support for Selayang MP and PKR vice-president William Leong, who recently quit his post in the party’s political bureau to protest the top leadership’s courting of PAS for electoral cooperation, despite having severed ties with it earlier this year.

“We want the party to give us a deadline when these talks will be over. It cannot continue after that,” Chee said at a press conference today attended by some 30 members from Selayang PKR. Selangor Amanah treasurer Mohammad Abdul Rahman was also present.

Chee said they did not completely oppose the idea of working with PAS, but merely wanted PKR to ensure that its former Pakatan Rakyat ally was “sincere in pursuing the same agenda” to ensure the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) was voted out in the coming polls.

However, he was interrupted at this point by PKR members, who said  PKR should immediately halt its pursuit of PAS.

Rawang assemblyman Gan Pei Nei said it was hard to impose a timeframe on talks as “it is not a straight forward discussion”.

She appealed for all to be united and focused on beating BN in the elections, adding that everyone wanted the same thing even if there were differences in opinion.

“Differences in opinion is not a problem. I believe we can sort it out,” she said, noting that PKR and PAS in Selangor were able to work well together.

PKR’s current attempt to develop electoral cooperation for the coming polls has been a thorny subject, drawing disagreement from allies DAP and Amanah, which is a splinter party of PAS after the break up of the previous opposition pact Pakistan Rakyat in 2015. At its muktamar in May this year, PAS resolved to cut ties with PKR, a move endorsed by its highest decision-making body, the Syura Council.

PAS and ruling Malay party Umno, have since been wooing each other in the name of cooperation for the sake of Islam and the Malays. Historically, both parties have been rivals for the Malay-Muslim vote which Umno is now desperate to win as the opposition makes inroads into rural Malay seats.

Leong on Monday submitted his letter of resignation from the political bureau to the PKR leadership. He is still a member of the party’s Supreme Leadership Council.

“I don’t agree that the party continues cooperating with PAS when it is clear that PAS already has an arrangement with Umno,” he said.

All members at the press conference today said they still wanted Leong to contest in the general election. – August 25, 2017.