SHAH ALAM: The announcement by PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang to retain Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as Opposition Leader is appropriate because it is in line with the stance of the majority of opposition Members of Parliament.
Indera Mahkota Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, said that Abdul Hadi was only stating PAS's official stance as the party with the largest number of MPs in the opposition bloc and was indeed entitled to state his stance on the leadership of the bloc, reported Sinar Harian.
"The announcement was made after PAS severed ties with Bersatu, and the decision was made after the relevant Perikatan Supreme Council Meeting.
"Therefore, the landscape and internal dynamics of the opposition have changed compared to the previous situation," he said in a statement on Sunday (June 14).
On Saturday (June 14), during the Reset Malaysia Convention, Abdul Hadi announced that Hamzah would return as Opposition Leader.
He, who is also the Member of Parliament for Marang, informed that PAS and Gerakan Reset agreed to retain Hamzah and the decision was made through deliberations between PAS and MPs.
In addition, Kemaman Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is also the Menteri Besar of Terengganu, was retained as Chairman of Perikatan.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin explained that PAS has consistently supported Hamzah, who is also the Larut Member of Parliament, as Opposition Leader from the beginning and wants him to continue to be retained in his position, including after he was fired from Bersatu.
"The fact is that today, 43 PAS MPs and 19 MPs who support Hamzah want him to remain as Opposition Leader. This means that approximately 80% of MPs in the opposition bloc support his position.
"Therefore, it is not accurate to accuse PAS of turning its back on Perikatan, rather PAS is only expressing a stance that is in line with the wishes of the vast majority of opposition MPs," he said.
Meanwhile, commenting on the claim that Abdul Hadi's actions reflected the shadow of the 'mullah system', the former Foreign Minister described the accusation as a repetition of old propaganda that was deliberately played out to scare the people.
He explained that in a parliamentary democratic system, the legitimacy of a leader depends on majority support and not on political perception or sentiment.
"If a decision is to be made democratically in the opposition bloc, the majority's voice must be respected.
"In a situation where the vast majority of opposition MPs still support Hamzah, it is logical and reasonable for him to continue as Opposition Leader," he said.
