THE Selangor government has frozen annual allocations for PAS lawmakers and removed PAS information chief Roslan Shahrir Mohd Shahrir from the Subang Jaya Municipal Council, Sin Chew Daily reported today.

It reported that sources said Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali had decided several days ago to implement this measure.

The newspaper said this was tantamount to severing ties with the Islamist party, although Azmin had decided to keep three PAS excos so as to not disrupt the state administration.

Officially, PAS has severed ties with PKR, a decision it undertook during its annual party congress on April 30 last year.

But despite cutting off its political ties with the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, its lawmakers decided to stay in Selangor’s administration.

Azmin, hoping that a deal could be cut with PAS, had also decided not to remove the PAS lawmakers from his state cabinet. 

But with elections around the corner and no signs that PAS is willing to avoid three-cornered fights, a move that will only benefit Barisan Nasional, the decision was inevitable.

PAS had said it will contest 45 state seats and 15 federal seats in Selangor in the 14th general election.

Meanwhile, Sin Chew said another Pakatan leader said that Azmin’s decision was in retaliation to the Kelantan government’s move not to appoint PKR lawmakers as its coordinator for constituencies held by BN.

PAS has 13 state seats in Selangor, while the others are held by DAP (14), PKR (13), Amanah (2), Umno (12) and two independents.

In the last general election, PKR and PAS contested 21 state seats each and DAP, 15.

PAS has said it intends to contest at least 45 state seats in Selangor in the next general election. – January 14, 2018.