KUALA LUMPUR: Pas is the “main pillar” of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and is ready to lead the opposition coalition, says a Pas Central Committee member.
Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah said Pas was now the largest single party in Parliament, having won 43 seats in the last general election.
“We can no longer be regarded as a ‘tongkat’ (crutch). We are the main pillar of PN,” he said in an interview with Berita Harian.
“Strategic decisions in PN cannot be made without taking into account Pas’s stand. This is evidence that we aren’t a mere supporter but the main player.”
Haim said Pas, which controls four states and has decades of administrative experience, was best positioned to offer leadership.
“The time has come for the people to give Pas a chance to lead the coalition and the country.”
He said a decision on the matter would be made collectively by PN’s top leadership.
“What is important is that Pas is now more prepared and we are confident that we can bring a new direction for the country.
“This narrative that Pas must be at the back must stop. The reality is that we have the most organised machinery, solid grassroots support and leadership that people have confidence in.”
The recent Pas Muktamar was marked by calls for it to lead PN instead of Bersatu and name its prime minister candidate, a proposal backed by the party’s spiritual leader, Datuk Hashim Jasin.
Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, in his address at the Muktamar, also said the party was ready to lead a multi-racial Malaysia while upholding the supremacy of the Federal Constitution.
He said this in the presence of PN chairman and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin later said that Pas had the right to propose its intention to lead PN and name its own prime minister candidate, though the matter would ultimately be discussed and decided by PN’s Presidential Council.
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