KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — PAS tonight denied reports claiming it has entered a formal alliance with Perkasa, insisting that all it did was receive a courtesy call from the Malay rights group, during which both parties agreed on three issues.
The three issues are the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy; the recent detentions under the Security Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA); and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, said Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s political secretary.
“Berita Harian, Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider reported that PAS has entered a formal cooperation with Perkasa. This is inaccurate and wrong.
“PAS merely received a courtesy call from Perkasa at our party headquarters and as a result, PAS and Perkasa agreed on three issues, namely the 1MDB issue, SOSMA and TPPA,” he said.
Malay Mail Online had similarly reported this evening that PAS and Perkasa entered a formal working relationship with one another on non-political matters, chiefly on national matters and issues involving Malay unity.
According to Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali during a press conference after the meeting, the relationship would not involve politics.
“We have agreed to work together starting from now, and Perkasa hopes PAS would play a proactive role in upholding the unity of Muslims, because the unity of Muslims in Malaysia is the catalyst to uniting the people of Malaysia,” he told the media conference at the PAS headquarters.
“The majority of Malaysians are Malay-Muslims and Bumiputera. If the majority is not united, how are the minorities safe?”
This was then followed by a joint statement by the two organisations read by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
The joint statement listed issues that Perkasa and PAS see eye-to-eye on, and also urged for action from the relevant authorities.
Among the issues listed were the call for the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate 1MDB and the donation of RM2.6 billion into the prime minister’s personal accounts; the release of lawyer Matthias Chang and ex-Umno leader Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan from their SOSMA detentions; and a call on the government to be transparent on the TPP.
