PAS pledges support for Dr M in event of no confidence vote, says Takiyuddin

SEMENYIH: PAS has pledged to support Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) in the event of a "betrayal" from within Pakatan Harapan, says Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan.

The PAS secretary-general said the "draft letter" that was signed during a recent meeting between the Prime Minister and PAS top leadership in Kuala Lumpur was a declaration of PAS' support for Dr Mahathir.

"A draft copy of this letter undertaking was given to him (Dr Mahathir) during that meeting. It states that if anything happens to the PM, we (PAS) undertake to be with him.

"Bear in mind that we are going to sit in Parliament on March 11.

"Dr Mahathir had indicated before about a 'pengkhianatan' (betrayal), and there may be a vote of no confidence against him.

"We are not new in politics. Our president (Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang) sensed something... that's why we went to see him (Dr Mahathir)," said Takiyuddin to reporters here late Sunday (Feb 17) night.

He, however, did not make it clear if it was PAS or Dr Mahathir who suggested for the party to support the PM in a vote of no confidence.

Takiyuddin said the alleged betrayal could come from "two component parties" within Pakatan, but declined to reveal which.

"We are political people, so we can sense if something not right might happen within Pakatan. Two parties had been mentioned but I do not want to name them," said Takiyuddin.

Takiyuddin was speaking to reporters after co-chairing a meeting with Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the Semenyih by-election at Barisan Nasional's command centre here last night.

He was asked to explain about the draft letter signed at the meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

The meeting involved Dr Mahathir, Abdul Hadi, Takiyuddin and Terengganu Mentri Besar Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

Takiyuddin said the meeting also discussed about oil royalty for Terengganu, among other things.

"But there was no mention about the Semenyih by-election, at all," he said.

Dr Mahathir had earlier claimed that the PAS leaders had signed a letter which declared that it would not longer support Barisan in the Semenyih by-election.

This has been refuted by both PAS and Barisan leaders.

For a vote of confidence to succeed in the Dewan Rakyat, it must have the support of at least 112 out of 222 MPs.

PAS currently has a total of 18 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat