PAS leaders have come out to defend Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali following his recent statement that the country’s richest state is still being governed by the defunct Pakatan Rakyat.

Deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the party would not respond to DAP leaders’ criticism against the party excos who are still part of the Selangor government, New Sunday Times reported.

“The PAS assemblymen should remain as Selangor excos as they are given the mandate by the people.

“I believe Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali is rational (to maintain PAS excos) and we (PAS) will remain committed to serving the state government,” he said at PAS’ Hari Raya Open House in Temerloh yesterday.

Malay daily Sinar Harian meanwhile quoted Selangor PAS commissioner Sallehin Mukhyi as saying that Pakatan Harapan needs to prove that it can win the mandate to to govern before thinking about administering the state.

He said the the previous general election saw the mandate given to Pakatan Rakyat.

Pakatan Rakyat fell apart when PAS and DAP cut ties with each other in July 2015. PKR, DAP, and PAS off-shoot Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) then formed Pakatan Harapan, which Bersatu later joined.

“That’s why Selangor is still being administered by these three parties although politically we don’t have any ties,” he said, adding that the current administration still supports the aspiration and manifesto put forward by Pakatan Rakyat in the previous general election.

Selangor Amanah leaders had urged PKR deputy president Azmin to stop trying to woo PAS to form an electoral pact and just focus on forming a state-level Pakatan Harapan secretariat to face the next elections.

Several DAP leaders, including Lim Kit Siang and Tony Pua have also criticised Azmin on social media over his statement that the Pakatan Rakyat state government still exists. – July 9, 2017.