PAS may well have to bear the brunt of the blame for the current mess in Selangor as it was the party's uncompromising stance that allowed Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to inflict so much damage on Pakatan Rakyat (PR), analysts said.
Pundits acknowledged that the problem has its origins in PKR, which made the mistake of reappointing Khalid as mentri besar in the first place, but stressed that it was PAS that made the grievous mistake of breaking ranks with their PR colleagues over a clear case of insubordination.
"As much as we see Tan Sri Khalid isolating himself now, the PAS leadership is putting the party in the same direction.
"They are willing to sacrifice loyalty to friends for some unknown reason," Wan Saiful Wan Jan told Malay Mail Online when contacted.
The chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) was incredulous over PAS's lackadaisical attitude towards the current crisis, saying it was only fair for PR partners PKR and DAP to expect their support after it was agreed by the coalition's presidential council to replace Khalid with PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Wan Saiful argued that by postponing their meeting to this Sunday to decide their stand on Khalid, PAS only succeeded in proving their inability to come to a decision.
He added that it is also a damning testament to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's inability to give the party any clear direction.
"This situation strengthens the argument that Hadi, while being a good scholar, is just incapable of managing the complex situation that PAS is in today. (Their behaviour) raises the significant issue of trustworthiness.
"This is such an important issue and must be addressed immediately, but they are saying 'nah, we'll wait till Sunday, let's have coffee first'.
"What the PAS leadership is saying now is that they cannot decide... they are very decisive in not making a decision," he said.
Ibrahim Suffian, head of independent pollster Merdeka Center, agreed that PAS's indecision provided Khalid with a "lifeline" to stay put - which placed PR in its current fix.
He noted that while it falls on PKR to convince a large and long established party like PAS to see things their way, PAS itself needs to start making the hard decisions when it comes to the Selangor mentri besar post and ultimately their position in PR.
"They have to decide whether they want to remain in Pakatan or support the president (Hadi)... I think that is the difficult decision that they have to (make)," he said, referring to Hadi's previous statement backing Khalid to stay on in his post.
Independent analyst Khoo Kay Peng said PAS cannot deny that it is the sole reason why Khalid managed to find the space to wreak such havoc on PR that it could potentially lead to a break-up of the nascent coalition.
But he stressed that all this could have been avoided if both DAP and PKR had been on the level with PAS from the beginning instead of sweeping whatever problems they faced individually under the carpet.
"We can't trust this kind of coalition if it were to take the federal government. Imagine if they took federal power, it will all just break down. If they can't handle Selangor, they have no moral right to call themselves an alternative for Malaysians," he said.
Khalid's latest machinations has plunged PR in a quagmire in Selangor - not a single PKR or DAP lawmaker currently has a seat in the government, despite both parties occupying half the state legislative assembly.
The now-independent Khalid removed all six PKR and DAP lawmakers from his administration this week, leaving himself with just four PAS state executive councillors, which is the minimum requirement according to the Selangor constitution.
He has also refused to step down as mentri besar, relying on support from the Sultan, Umno's 12 assemblymen and for now, PAS's unknown position on the matter.
Struggling to stay in power, both PKR and DAP are now heavily dependant on PAS to finally take a stand in the crisis but the Islamist party will not be rushed, insisting that it will only meet this Sunday for a decision.
Meanwhile, PR's fate in Selangor hangs in the balance. Its three parties may collectively command the majority of Selangor's 56-seat assembly with 43 lawmakers on its side, but Khalid has made it clear that his removal, if at all it should happen, will not come without a price the pact can ill-afford to pay.
Mmo
0 comments: