Umno-PAS rule in Selangor - 'Anwar ruined it'
Malaysiakini.com
Jul 22, 2008
Syed Jaymal Zahiid

PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim had used his influence in PAS to derail the possibility of Umno and the Islamic party forming a joint government to rule Selangor in the wake of the March 8 polls.
MCPX

This was revealed by former menteri besar and Umno supreme council member Dr Mohd Khir Toyo.

selangor adun ceremony 220408 khir toyoIn a posting on his blog, Khir said Umno had offered its arch-rival PAS the menteri besar post during a dialogue session held shortly after the elections.

Apart from this, he said PAS was also offered the deputy menteri besar as well as four executive councillors posts if it agreed to form the coalition.

Khir also said he was willing to be left out of the state government line-up if that would encourage PAS to accept the partnership.

"I brought them (PAS) for a muzakarah (dialogue) with the prime minister and suggested to Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) that PAS leaders in Selangor be offered those posts," he added.

He said Umno and PAS could form a synthesis in championing Malay interests in the state which fell into opposition control.

'Anwar blocked it'

"Unfortunately the influence of Anwar in PAS through the party's secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaafar blocked the initiative.

anwar ibrahim freed from police ipk detention pc 170708 06"As long as Anwar is important in Pakatan Rakyat, the muzakarah will not succeed. Anwar does not want to see Malays unite and that is why he formed Pakatan that thrives on the ideals of equality to the extent of elevating other religions on the same par as the primary religion in this country, Islam," he added.

Khir said this was proven by the fact that Anwar was being supported by 'extremist' Chinese and Indians via opposition party DAP and the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

Yesterday, Malaysiakini quoted a PAS leader as saying that Umno had offered them the Selangor menteri besar post during a meeting held two or three days after the general election.

abdul khalid samadPAS central committee member Abdul Khalid Samad, who attended the meeting, disclosed that the agenda was issues pertaining to Islam and the Malays.

Also present were PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa and the party’s Terengganu commissioner Mustafa Ali.

Despite the offer, PAS chose to back the Pakatan Rakyat state government with PKR supreme council member Khalid Ibrahim as menteri besar. PAS has three state executive councillors.

However, Khir is still optimistic about the possibility of Umno and PAS striking a working relationship.

"We must first get rid of the politics of hate, slander and revenge among the Malays. It must begin with the younger generation understanding that a Malay majority is only meaningful if it is used to better the Malays.

"I am happy to hear that Umno and PAS leaders are talking. This happiness comes from the fact that I initiated the move after the March 8 elections," he said.

Friction in PAS

Meanwhile, Khir also stated that he had a dream.

"My dream is that one day, we will see Abdullah, (former premier) Dr Mahathir Mohamad, (deputy premier) Najib Abdul Razak, (PAS spiritual leader) Nik Aziz Nik Mat, (Anwar's wife and PKR president) Dr Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) and (PAS president) Abdul Hadi Awang seated at the same table.

pas muktamar 2004 290804 hadi with nik aziz"My dream is to see that the Malays once again become the backbone which will stabilise the politics in the country," he added.

On Sunday night, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang confirmed that top-level meetings had taken place between the two parties.

However, it is believed that the talks had caused a rift in PAS with certain leaders, including Nik Aziz, not keen on collaborating with Umno. 

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