HYPOCRITICAL, opportunistic and just plain weird are among the descriptions Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders have thrown at PAS’ move to table a motion of confidence in Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.

They said PAS leaders are hypocrites because while they claim to support Dr Mahathir, they campaigned against the PH government and its policies such as the Rome Statute and parliamentary asset declarations.

They also said PAS is opportunistic because it thinks by showing support towards Dr Mahathir, it can enter the government through the backdoor.

Finally, they said the ultra-conservative Islamist party is weird because in almost all parliamentary democracies, opposition parties table motions of no-confidence against the government and its sitting prime minister.

“I think in general one can say that PAS’ stand of supporting Dr Mahathir is based on hypocrisy,” said DAP’s Klang MP, Charles Santiago.

“Why is it based on hypocrisy? If they want to support Dr Mahathir, then they also need to support IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission).

“They should also support ICERD (International Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination) and signing the Rome Statute,” said Santiago, referring to the laws and policies PAS has opposed in Parliament.

“If they’re really interested in showing support for Dr Mahathir then they should support all of PH’s policies. That is what support means.

“If they support Dr Mahathir, does this mean they are abandoning muafakat nasional with Umno?”

PAS is in an opposition pact called muafakat nasional with members of the old Barisan Nasional regime, Umno, MCA and MIC.

In a surprise move on Saturday, PAS said it will be tabling a “motion of confidence” in the next parliamentary sitting to support Dr Mahathir as prime minister.

The motion calls for Dr Mahathir to serve out his five-year term instead of relinquishing it to Anwar Ibrahim, who is PKR president.

Selayang MP William Leong said what PAS wants to do is not normal.

“It is a very strange thing that I think does not happen in any other democratic country, where the opposition tables a motion of confidence in the government’s prime minister,” said Leong of PKR.

“It is normal for the opposition to table a motion of no-confidence.”

PAS’ move is insincere and the party is opportunistic, Leong said.

It wants to show Dr Mahathir support so the prime minister will agree to the wish of its president, Abdul Hadi Awang, to form a Muslim-dominated government.

Hadi has publicly said he is interested in forming a Muslim-dominated government consisting of PAS, Umno and Dr Mahathir’s Bersatu. This is despite the fact that PAS is already in a pact with Umno.

“So, it appears that PAS is quite happy, despite all that they say, to become a part of the government through the backdoor by supporting Dr Mahathir.

“This is very undemocratic because the people did not vote for PAS to become the government, neither did they vote for Umno to become the government.

“So, what they are doing is showing their hand that they want to form a government through the backdoor.”

Bersatu’s Tariq Mustafa Ismail, however, gives PAS the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s not about a backdoor government, but unity in Parliament to support the motions of the government,” said Tariq, a member of the party’s supreme council.

“It’s not about Anwar or who is sincere or not. Politics is a pure numbers game. There is just way too much politicking and nothing is getting done.” – February 10, 2020.