ISLAMIST PAS has not received any invitation to join the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, party secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said today. 

“I would like to confirm that PAS, up until this very second, has not received any offer or invitation from the PMX (as the 10th prime minister is popularly referred) mentioned in his interview with Time magazine,” Takiyuddin said.

“Never. No (party) leader has ever received an invitation to be part of PMX’s government.” 

Takiyuddin was responding to Anwar’s claim in a recent interview with Time that PAS had been invited to join the unity government.

Meanwhile, Takiyuddin said that Perikatan Nasional (PN), in which PAS is the biggest party, will not continue negotiations with the government regarding equal allocation for opposition lawmakers. 

The Kota Bharu MP said Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof, whom the prime minister has tasked to lead the talks, has asked the opposition for certain guarentees.

“During Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s tenure, when we were part of the government, they (the opposition) didn’t have to guarantee anything. We willingly offered (funding to them). 

“But this time, they are asking us to write letters and make certain commitments. Why do we have to do that?

“That’s why the negotiations have stopped. We will not give anything in exchange for allocations for opposition lawmakers,” said the former minister in charge of law and parliamentary affairs.

Takiyuddin did not name the guarantees or undertakings demanded by the government. 

The PN chief whip said Anwar was backtracking on the Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto to give equal allocations to all MPs regardless of their political affiliation. – November 3, 2023.