Real traitors are two PAS reps who supported Wan Azizah, says Nik Abduh

PAS central committee member Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz said the two legislators from PAS who had supported PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new Selangor menteri besar were ‘traitors’. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, September 10, 2014.

Pasir Mas MP Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz has defended PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang over the Selangor menteri besar crisis, blaming the two PAS assemblymen who supported PKR’s choice for the state’s top post.

Nik Abduh, the son of PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, identified as “traitors” the two legislators from PAS, whose “betrayal” caused the Islamist party to be rocked internally by divisions over Hadi’s unilateral action to nominate his own candidates.

Nik Abduh was referring to Hasnul Baharuddin and Saari Sungib, the PAS assemblymen for Morib and Hulu Kelang, who both publicly voiced their support for PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new Selangor MB, even before PAS had made its own stand on the matter.

"The PAS president has been accused of betraying PR (Pakatan Rakyat) for naming one MB candidate from PAS," Nik Abduh, who is also a PAS central committee member, said in a Facebook posting late last night.

"The fact is, the betrayal began earlier with two who worked together – two traitors from among the PAS assemblymen who gave support to PKR. This started to damage PAS’s internal stability."

Nik Abduh also accused PKR of betraying the Islamist party by accepting the support of Hasnul and Saari.

"Just as how the two assemblymen cut off their loyalty to the president (of PAS), that is also how PKR severed its friendship with PAS," he wrote.

"From the early labelling by Barisan Nasional, PR friends also began calling PAS a 'U-turn' party.

"PAS began to be played by its own friends."

He said the issue was made worse following reports that the PAS president had allegedly asked Azmin Ali (PKR deputy president) to betray his party.

"Although this was denied, the fire was not put out."

Nik Abduh said that Hadi had “repeatedly shown tolerance” as the MB crisis dragged on, but that PKR had not appreciated the gesture.

"Does PKR see and appreciate the high tolerance shown by the PAS president? No, right?

"Do you see any effort on PKR's side to soothe the tensions in PAS? No, right?" he said, adding that Hadi had been "gentleman" enough to repair ties with PR after the betrayal of the two assemblymen and not leave the coalition.

Hadi has come under severe criticism from his Pakatan allies and from within his own party for unilaterally naming candidates for the Selangor menteri besar position.

Following the uproar caused by his decision, Hadi maintained he had used the discretion accorded to him by the party’s constitution to submit the three names for the Selangor menteri besar position to the palace.

But the Islamist party's legal bureau said yesterday that the PAS president had violated the party constitution by taking matters into his own hands.

Hadi was also previously criticised for repeatedly supporting the embattled Khalid to remain as MB despite PKR's decision to replace him with Dr Wan Azizah.

Ties within Pakatan Rakyat parties were strained following Hadi's open support for Khalid, and the PAS president has been accused of trying to break up the six-year-old coalition.

Nik Abduh said the tolerance levels of PAS and its president had reached the “highest limit” and warned that its cooperation with Pakatan Rakyat would be over if the accusations continued.

“After this, if not treated well, the tolerance will be over and the PAS president will start to act.

“He will decide that PKR and DAP will not be invited for discussions anymore. He will decide to handle the internal issues in PAS his own way.”

- TMI