Zahid: No formal invite to PAS at all

PUTRAJAYA: There is no formal discussion between leaders in the unity government and PAS to invite the Islamist party to join the government coalition, says the Deputy Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said neither have the issue been raised nor talked about among the 19 party leaders in the unity government.

“If at all meetings between the leadership of PAS and the unity government took place, it was never considered as formal.

“There is no ‘move’ whatsoever,” he said after chairing the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development meeting yesterday.

Last week, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang claimed that certain individuals had approached him about joining the unity government.

PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man backed his president’s claim, saying that he too was approached by representatives from the unity government with an offer for PAS to join the current administration.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president, said based on past experiences, no party in the unity government trusted PAS.

“They are giving the impression that they are very much needed, but the fact is none of us trusts them,” he said.

Meanwhile, PAS hit out at Ahmad Zahid and said that it was DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang who mooted the idea of PAS working together with the unity government.

PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin said Lim made the suggestion as the government’s position was at a critical juncture and Umno allegedly no longer had the support of the Malay community.

“Perikatan Nasional will continue to make preparations to become a more professional and caring government that listens to the grievances of the people, compared to the current government,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Tuan Ibrahim told a Malay daily that he too had been approached by certain people whom he claimed to be representatives of the unity government for the same purpose.

He also told an online portal that it was not Lim who had met him to make the offer.

“I would like to confirm what was said by the party president, and in fact, they had also came to me to extend the offer.

“However, I stressed that I would remain steadfast with Perikatan as promised during the GE15, and I said that we will not lie to the voters,” he was quoted as saying.

On May 14, Lim had proposed for the unity government to cooperate with PAS ahead of the upcoming six state elections.

However, he stressed that the government should only do so on two conditions – one is that the PAS president cease hostilities towards Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the other is that Abdul Hadi must show honesty.

On May 29, Lim said he was only giving his personal suggestion for PAS to cooperate with the unity government.