Hadi should leave Pakatan if he refuses to attend meeting, says Pak Samad

National laureate Datuk A. Samad Said says PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang should play by the rules of coalition politics. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, February 7, 2015.

Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang should pull PAS out of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition if he does not want to attend its presidential council meeting on Sunday, said national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said.

The veteran social activist, also known as Pak Samad, said Hadi needed to give serious commitment to the coalition as it was his duty as a political leader.

"You want to be part of a coalition but not attend meetings. What does a coalition mean?

"There must be give and take as well as humility," he told The Malaysian Insider today.

"If there is no will to be united, don't go in, stay outside.”

Samad said Hadi appeared to be the sole problem in Pakatan Rakyat.

"The problem is Hadi. He said not to force him to attend. But that is not force, that is his responsibility," the patron of civil society movement Negaraku said.

Hadi had said last night no one had the right to decide if he should attend the much-anticipated meeting.

DAP had repeatedly insisted in recent months that Hadi, who had been absent from meetings, attend the meeting to avoid disputes once the council had made a decision on policy.

Samad also described Hadi as an obstacle to relations in PR and said he was limiting the potential of able leaders in the Islamist party.

The national laureate said under such circumstances, PR was at risk of breaking up if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition pact's leader, were to be sentenced to jail on Tuesday when the Federal Court gives its verdict on his sodomy appeal.

"I think PR will break up, more so, if Anwar goes to jail.

"It is not impossible for PAS to be replaced," Samad said, adding that the influence of new group PasMa formed within PAS in what has been seen as a challenge to Hadi's conservative leadership.

"PasMa can save the situation by joining forces with PKR and DAP. PAS itself will split into two," he said.

PasMa was formed by some of PAS's members last year with the aim of ensuring that the party remains in PAS.

Samad said it had potential, as those involved, even if they were small in number knew what Malaysians desired.

Samad, who is also former Bersih 2.0 co-chair, also felt that Anwar was still relevant as a leader despite not being able to settle the bickering between PAS and DAP.

- TMI