This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 26, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat has long been buried, a PKR leader told PAS yesterday after the Islamist party’s deputy president insisted that the old opposition pact was still alive with just the two parties in it.

PKR elections director Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Pakatan, which had comprised PKR, DAP and PAS, no longer had a common policy framework, nor a presidential council that made joint decisions, nor a secretariat that coordinated events and activities for the pact. All these had existed after Pakatan was formed on April 1, 2008, following the general election that year, with the common policy framework adopted on Dec 19, 2009. Pakatan was declared dead in June after PAS cut ties with DAP.

“Today, all of that no longer exists. That means Pakatan no longer functions,” Saifuddin, the former PKR secretary-general, said in response to PAS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s statement. Tuan Ibrahim had said that Pakatan was still alive with PAS and PKR, as proven through support and political collaboration it had in Selangor and Kelantan.

“Pakatan without DAP is a political platform, it is still strong and remains until now,” Tuan Ibrahim had said. The PAS deputy president had also said that the party just met with PKR last week where they agreed to strengthen their cooperation.

But Saifuddin said yesterday that Tuan Ibrahim may have understood the meeting. The PKR leader said there had been four meetings with PAS so far, and all were headed by PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

None of these meetings, however, had been attended by the Islamist party’s president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. 

No political decisions were made in those meetings, which only saw the two parties exchange views on current issues, Saifuddin said, adding that it was PKR’s policy to maintain an open and inclusive approach. “In one of the meetings, which I attended, PKR suggested that PAS agree to a ‘one-against-one’ formula and the PAS representatives asked for time to bring up the matter with the PAS leadership.

“The idea, if PAS agrees, can be implemented via an electoral pact, and not through Pakatan Rakyat, as Tuan Ibrahim might have understood,” Saifuddin said.

Saifuddin added that Pakatan Harapan was then formed as a new coalition among PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), a splinter party helmed by progressive PAS leaders who were ousted in party elections earlier this year. “The rationale of setting up Pakatan Harapan is to fill the void immediately, to give the people an alternative. PAS was invited to join the new coalition, but it is not ready to come on board,” Saifuddin said.

PAS has refused to join the new pact, saying it can no longer work with DAP after cutting ties with its former ally, and because Amanah leaders were “traitors” for abandoning PAS. But forming Pakatan Harapan was a priority, he said. 

The new pact has also proceeded with its plans as a coalition, Saifuddin said.

The first presidential council meeting under Pakatan Harapan was held last Monday, after which the coalition’s alternative budget was revealed by opposition leader Wan Azizah last Wednesday.

“At the same time, the engagements with PAS will continue because it is important to mobilise all strengths and potentials from opposition parties, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, towards beating the Barisan Nasional ruling party,” he said.

Until then, Saifuddin said the only political alliance PKR is a part of is Pakatan Harapan, and negotiations towards the “one-against-one” formula against BN involving all opposition parties, including PAS, would resume. — The Malaysian Insider