SELANGOR Amanah leaders have urged PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali to stop trying to woo PAS to form an electoral pact, but to just focus on forming a state-level Pakatan Harapan secretariat to face the next elections.

Amanah chairman Izham Hashim said the setting up of the secretariat has already been agreed to by DAP, Amanah and Bersatu, but was being held back by PKR.

“What is his problem? He needs to follow the decision of his party, PKR, which is to form the state-level Pakatan Harapan.

“So just form it. At the national level, there is already PH, so at the state and area level, there is also a need to set it up,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said although the state has yet to set up the coalition, several areas within Selangor – such as Shah Alam and Kapar – have already formed a PH secretariat.

Izham urged PKR to stop trying to woo PAS to form an election pact, but to just focus on forming PH to face the 14^th general election (GE14).

He said PKR’s hopes of reaching an agreement with PAS on which areas to contest in GE14 were unrealistic, as Amanah and Bersatu plan to compete in all 20 state seats eyed by PAS in the polls.

“Even if we wanted to split the seats, it would be with Bersatu,” said Izham, who is also Amanah’s deputy director of strategy.

“Seats with a large Malay majority will be given to Bersatu to contest. We will negotiate with Bersatu. PKR already has their seats, there are many.

“DAP also has many seats. The ones without seats now are Amanah and Bersatu.”

Selangor Amanah Youth chief Abbas Azmi concurred with Izham, saying voters in the state will get confused if there was no proper coalition.

“Amanah, DAP, PKR and Bersatu youth have started meeting twice a month. We have a close relationship,” Abbas said. 

“We, the youth factions, are now pushing the state government to set up the PH secretariat,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Last weekend, media reports quoted Izham as saying that PH will lose Selangor at GE14 if PKR insists on cooperating with PAS.

The Subang Jaya City Council member said non-Malay voters will reject PH if PKR is still seen to be with PAS, and this will cause Selangor to fall to BN.

The Malaysian Insight is still trying to get a response from Azmin, who is also Selangor menteri besar.

Azmin above the party?

Izham said he understood why Azmin would still want to retain the PAS exco members in Selangor for now, but stressed that PH needed to be formed at the state to strengthen the coalition.

“It’s okay for PAS to be in our exco, we understand it is a matter for the Istana (the Selangor palace). But we need to strengthen Pakatan Harapan, make clear our agenda.

“Ever since he became the menteri besar, Azmin has never taken the initiative to hold meetings between all four parties in Selangor.

“When Khalid Ibrahim was menteri besar of Selangor, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would always hold meetings. As it neared GE13, we would meet almost weekly,” said Izham, who had represented PAS in the PR Selangor meetings back then.

Izham said he feared that non-Malay voters who had given PR the victory in Selangor during GE12 and GE13 would choose not to vote in GE14 because of the uncertainty in PH’s principles.

“If the election is announced tomorrow, how are we going to stand as a united coalition?

“Non-Malay voters may not even want to cast their vote as a protest if we keep working together with PAS,” he said.

Izham also reminded PKR leaders of the sacrifice of two of PAS’ former assemblymen Saari Sungib and Hasnul Baharuddin, which helped the opposition alliance maintain control of Selangor during the menteri besar saga.

Saari and Hasnul had been the only two PAS representatives who signed a statutory declaration supporting the appointment of PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as menteri besar to replace Khalid. Their decision to stand with other PKR and DAP representatives had gone against PAS’ official directive.

“Without our assemblymen, Selangor may have fallen to PAS, which was intent on forming the Selangor government with Umno during the menteri besar crisis back then,” said Izham.

“Azmin does not have to worry. Those in PAS who had helped PKR in Selangor and other states have almost all joined Amanah.

“If from this point on, we form a team with one logo and united in everything else, even three-cornered fights will not be a problem for us.” – July 4, 2017.