KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said he chose to join PKR upon leaving Umno because the rest of the opposition, namely DAP, PAS and Amanah, were fighting with each other.
The former Umno supreme council member also said another reason he chose PKR was because the multi-racial party best fit his political ideology of centripetalism, in which different ethnic groups collaborate, as opposed to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) model of consociationalism, where bargaining is done according to race.
“Ideologically, I think PKR is the one,” Saifuddin told Malay Mail Online in an interview.
“Second reason is practical. If I join DAP, I suddenly get into trouble with PAS. I join PAS, I’ll conflict with Amanah. I join Amanah, I’ll conflict with PAS. So both ideology and practicality, I joined PKR,” the former deputy higher education minister added,
Although PAS is not part of the newly-formed opposition pact Pakatan Harapan comprising PKR, DAP and PAS splinter group Amanah, PKR has maintained ties with the Islamist party.
“I believe in a united opposition bloc,” said Saifuddin.
The former head of the Global Movement of Moderates stressed that civil society leaders desired the same.
“I’m very close to civil society, and the message that keeps on coming is ‘Okay, Din. We understand why you joined PKR. But please remember, for the civil society, they want to see a united opposition’,” said Saifuddin.
Some opposition leaders had disagreed with the haste in which Pakatan Harapan was launched last month before the coalition worked out its relationship with PAS and its policy framework.
Opposition Leader and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail only announced Monday that Pakatan Harapan would form a new taskforce to oversee the formulation of a new common policy framework.
The previous opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat, broke up earlier this year due to PAS renewing its push for hudud in Kelantan that had angered the DAP.
