Work with Umno at GE14, ex-EC chairman tells PAS

Zulkifli Sulong Zulkifli Sulong Updated 6 years ago · Published on 14 Feb 2018 12:30PM · 3 Comments

Bersatu vice-president Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman says since PAS refuses to work with the opposition, it should team up with Umno at the next elections. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, February 14, 2018.

PAS stands to lose badly in the next elections unless it cooperates with Umno, said Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, the former chairman of the Election Commission.

Rashid, who headed the EC for six general elections, said historically, PAS has only been able to garner enough support when it works with bigger parties.

The Bersatu vice-president said since the party has decided to cut all ties with the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition, its only chances of securing any victory in the 14th general election is to cooperate with Umno.

“From my experience as former EC chairman, PAS will only win when it works with other parties.

“Otherwise, it will lose badly,” he said.

“I know this, as before I would study PAS’ movements while I was in the EC. They will win when they are with a strong party, not with smaller parties,” he said.

“So, I advise PAS, please work together with Umno in the next elections, since you don’t want to work together with other opposition parties.”

After the 13th general election, PAS left the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which also contained PKR and DAP. Following its general assembly last year, the party severed all ties with PKR and Bersatu, led by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

PAS then formed Gagasan Sejahtera, a coalition with two smaller parties, Ikatan and Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM).

PAS and GS have said they will stand in 130 parliamentary seats and have expressed confidence in winning 40 seats and turn the party a “king maker” following the next general election, which must be held by August.

In the past, PAS worked with Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), Nasma and SDP, as well as the Chinese Consultative Council (CCC) during the 1986 elections.

The party suffered huge losses then.

PAS has only chalked up victory when it worked with larger opposition parties, including Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (1990), Barisan Alternatif (1999), and PKR and DAP in the 2008 and 2013 elections. – February 14, 2018.

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Comments

  • PAS will lose completely in GE14 as they cannot be trusted anymore.

    Posted 6 years ago by Sam Ng · Reply

  • Honestly I don't know what Rashid is up to. Is he saying he was EC Chief so he reads statistics and can predict patterns? Is he expecting PAS to say "we are not working with UMNO" and somehow that serves as a BETTER strategy for Harapan? Or is he expecting PAS to actually declare "yes we are working with them" which is fools' dream? Or perhaps he is expecting PAS to keep quiet and then he can follow up with "silence means they are working together"? Most rakyat ARE ALREADY assuming PAS is surreptitiously working with UMNO, so asking them to work together is like saying "they are not working together now" which just sends a mixed message. Is that stupid or what? There are other ways to demonstrate one's cleverness. You were the EC Chief. Talk about electoral reform, for goodness sake.Embrace Bersih's ideas. They got it all figured out and just waiting for the right coalition to implement a freer and fairer electoral process.

    Posted 6 years ago by Quigon Bond · Reply

  • Pas aim is not winning only spoiling..

    Posted 6 years ago by Ali Along · Reply