KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — PAS today accused former ally DAP of a seat grab in its decision to contest 30 constituencies in next year’s Sarawak elections, claiming that this will alienate both the Islamist party and PKR.
PAS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man also said developments in the Sarawak state poll will determine PAS’s decision on whether it has a place in the Pakatan Harapan pact comprising PKR, DAP, and PAS splinter outfit Parti Amanah Negara.
“We will see how; for now, the nearest is the Sarawak elections and DAP has already declared to run for 30 seats.
“They also have not just severed ties with PAS but also with PKR. For us, the Sarawak elections would be the benchmark on how far DAP can respect us and other parties,” he told reporters during a press conference at the party headquarters today.
Tuan Ibrahim added that PAS would analyse the outcome of the Sarawak election to gauge how DAP cooperates with other parties, but claimed that its current actions showed that it was unfriendly to others besides the Islamist party.
He further said his party was not afraid of Amanah replacing them in Sarawak for the next elections.
“We (PAS) have gone to Sarawak and have contested there many times. It is not easy for a new party to win there. That being said, PAS will continue to contest in the seats that we have decided upon,” Tuan Ibrahim said.
He then reiterated that ties between PKR and PAS were still strong, with their leaders having met four times already since Pakatan Rakyat was declared dead earlier this year.
Ties between opposition parties in Sarawak have been strained with both DAP and PKR eyeing 82 seats there.
DAP’s recent claim that it plans to run in 30 seats have upset some Sarawakian PKR leaders who fear losing their areas to the ally party.
