Pas, Pakatan snub Umno offer to jointly rule Perak

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — The opposition Pakatan Rakyat is not interested in Perak Umno’s offer to form a coalition state government with Pas, saying it reflected the party’s desperation to claw back to power.

De facto opposition chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today Parti Keadilan Rakyat and DAP agreed with Pas Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s decision to decline such offers.

"I’m happy with the Perak MB’s stand that he is committed to Pakatan. It also shows that Umno is desperate. It’s a sinking ship forced to appeal and beg for support," Anwar told a press conference in Petaling Jaya near here.

Perak Umno chief Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali made the offer yesterday but this was immediately rejected by Nizar who said: "We will be in Pakatan Rakyat forever and ever. There's no way we will be with them (Umno). We are the Pakatan Rakyat, a composition of Pas, DAP and PKR."

Tajol Rosli's formula is this: to have a stronger and stable state government with 34 seats — 28 Umno and six Pas — with Nizar continuing to be the menteri besar.

Nizar is now leading the state government with 31 seats in the 59-seat state assembly, dominated by DAP's 18 state legislators and PKR's seven.

As a compromise, Nizar's state Cabinet has one Pas Exco member along with DAP's six and PKR's three representatives.

In his offer, Tajol Rosli said he is willing to allow Pas to have up to four Exco posts with Umno and the MCA's sole assemblyman controlling the other portfolios.

As a special consideration, the former Perak MB, who is also state Barisan Nasional chief, has promised that he would not be part of the state Cabinet.

It is learnt that immediately after the March 8 general election, there was already an attempt by Umno to lure Pas to form a coalition state government.

The move was however thwarted by Anwar with the help of Pas leaders such as vice-president Datuk Husam Musa, who wanted the Islamist party to remain in the new federal opposition.

Sources said Umno approached PKR assemblymen in Perak but they rejected the approach due to pressure from Anwar.

In the wake of Pas-Umno secret talks and proposed unity talks, Tajol Rosli is leveraging on Umno being the single largest party in the state to entice Pas to abandon its diverse ideological partners.

DAP and Pas have always been at odds over the Islamic state issue but the unity talks with Umno have irked the secular DAP even further, with its chairman Karpal Singh asking Pakatan to check Pas's credibility with the opposition coalition.

Nizar however assured the DAP that any discussions with Umno had nothing to do with the party intending to be with Umno.

Anwar too clarified that there would not be any muzakarah, which he defined as a dialogue aimed at achieving an understanding, but only muqabalah, a meeting to state one's stand, between Pas and Umno.

"I'm very much in communication with (Pas president) Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP leaders. There's no question about Pas leaving Pakatan," he added.

-TMI