KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — A PAS veteran has warned the party that it faces defeat in the next general election if it severs ties with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners DAP and PKR, saying it cannot win in mixed constituencies on its own.

PAS presidential nominee Ahmad Awang said PR’s survival as a coalition now hinges entirely on the Islamist party’s commitment to keep cooperating with DAP and PKR, as both allies have already reaffirmed their intention to stick with PAS despite problems with its president, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

The PAS leadership needs to be cognisant of this fact, the former PAS vice-president added.

“The chaos we see now, the souring of ties between PAS and DAP, is because these parties have put their trust in PAS, they wanted a strong Pakatan to head Putrajaya.

“If there is a general election in this situation, PAS cannot win (without DAP and PKR), we cannot get non-Malay support,” Ahmad told Malay Mail Online in a recent phone interview.

The PAS leadership’s failure to properly explain to PR their hudud plans in Kelantan is also a key reason why PKR and DAP are upset with the Islamist party, he added.

“PAS cannot avoid the fact that we are living in a multiracial society.

“For me I still see the relevance of the tahaluf siyasi (political cooperation) with DAP and PKR… DAP and PKR still want to discuss matters, still want to be with us.

“If we are not in Pakatan, where will PAS go?” Ahmad asked.

Ahmad has garnered three nominations, qualifying him to contest the PAS presidency against Hadi in the party’s election that will take place in June.

PAS currently has 21 parliamentary seats out of the 85 seats controlled by PR.

DAP cut ties with Hadi in March after PAS-ruled Kelantan passed key amendments to its Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II to enable the eventual implementation of hudud in the state.

The crisis is far from over, as Hadi will again attempt to table a private member’s Bill in Parliament this month to remove legal barriers to the enforcement of hudud, in a move likely to renew and exacerbate hostilities among the supposed allies.

The current conflict over hudud is threatening a repeat of the clash that killed off the pact’s predecessor, Barisan Alternatif, with senior leaders such as DAP’s Lim Kit Siang already exploring a “post-PR” future.