DAP Needs to Deal With It and PAS Will Not Give a Damn

 

By Ibrahman

The war between DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has reached a point of no return with the DAP and PKR just waiting out the Islamist party’s next move.

The outcome of PAS assembly next Thursday will determine whether the disparate pact that is Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will stay or be relegated to oblivion.

It may look tame from the outside, but the face-off may well be vicious, with the ulama faction bent on making a history (literally) of the liberal lot in PAS.

In all probabilities, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) may not get their way even if PAS decides to say. Stay they may but they will surely make the lives of DAP and PKR miserable, as the Islamist party will continue to push towards its objective, while ignoring the existence of the two others in the pact.

While incumbent Hadi is expected to emerge victorious, defeating contender Ahmad Awang, the liberals’ incumbent deputy president Mohamad Sabu may be booted out and replaced with the fundamentalist Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

The position of incumbent vice-president, Datuk Husam Musa, who carries the liberal tag, is considered fifty-fifty, while another incumbent, Sallehuddin Ayub, who is fighting hard to be retained, is avoiding making statements that can foil his chances.

The fact that Lim had interfered by calling for Hadi to be replaced has affected the liberals. He had certainly spoiled their opportunity to strengthen their position in the Islamist party.

They are staring defeat right in the face.

Lim, who calls the shot in the Chinese-based party, openly wants Hadi be replaced, a very rare case of interfering in another party’s affair, while the Islamist party on the other hand is prepared to cut all ties with DAP.

The war between the two parties with different ideologies and communal support is nearing the end with PAS upcoming polls, as PKR tries to play the moderator – fearing a break-up would mean the end of PR.

While Lim is feeling secure with Penang as its base, where the party can go on its own, given the Chinese majority seats, and Hadi ensconced comfortably with Kelantan under PAS, PKR, meanwhile is not in a fortunate position, as Selangor can go either way in the next general election.

PKR needs support from both DAP and PAS to retain Selangor because its own support base is insufficient for the party to go alone.

Lim has been ‘gunning down’ Hadi since early last year and both leaders have never got down to sit and talk for a solution to save PR after showing a remarkable performance in the 2013 general election.

Besides differences in ideology, Hadi’s silence on many issues involving the leadership of the pact, which included supporting PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail as Selangor Menteri Besar and being absent  from PR leadership council meeting had angered Lim.

Calling for Hadi’s removal in the upcoming PAS poll has backfired, as the fundamentalists and even liberal grassroots members have rallied behind the incumbent and worse, they are now rallying behind every fundamentalist who is contesting.

At first it was Hudud that had DAP angry at PAS, then just last week, it was DAP’s shadow Cabinet that had PAS going after DAP’s throat.

Gone are the honeymoon days of DAP and PAS, with PKR taken as just an audience in the serious political business of  trying to unseat the ruling Barisan Nasional.

Despite Wan Azizah trying to ‘slow talk’ leaders of DAP and PAS to come together and work on a common platform as they did before, the time has come for PAS to ‘stand up and stop playing second fiddle.

The Islamist party is now indirectly demanding DAP and PKR to treat it as equal partner, while struggling to fulfil the wishes of its members and followers who want PAS to go for an Islamic state and implement Hudud laws – wishes  that will never be accepted by DAP.