PAS determines Pakatan's fate

The Selangor Menteri Besar crisis has continued for six months. There is no sign of soothing and instead, it has now intensified. Backed by the Sultan, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is able to stay in the office while launching counter-attack. He sacked five state executive councillors from the PKR and DAP, retaining only four exco members from PAS. It was originally an infighting of the PKR but has now evolved into a massive storm for the party, while triggering conflict within PAS. It might continue to evolve into a political crisis that could affect the survival of Pakatan Rakyat, casting a shadow over the country's fragile two-party system.

PAS is playing a leading role in the storm. Since it has not yet made clear its stand over the replacement of Menteri Besar in the state, it has intensified the conflict between the liberal and conservative factions in the party. Its central committee meeting scheduled on Aug 17 will resolve the issue and the stand it takes will decide the fate of Pakatan Rakyat.

In other words, PAS central committee will decide whether to continue its coalition relationship with the PKR and DAP. Once the conservatives dominate, it might lead PAS to withdraw from Pakatan Rakyat, while causing split within the party. The conservatives headed by party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang have taken the lead to express their support to Khalid, but the stand was openly contradicted by the liberal faction headed by party deputy president Mohamad Sabu, showing the undercurrents in the party.

After five exco members from the PKR and DAP were sacked and one resigned, the two parties have anxiously urged PAS to make clear of its stand, but Hadi Awang insists to make the decision only after the central committee meeting. Although Mohamad Sabu, party vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, and Selangor PAS Commissioner Iskandar Samad have repeatedly stressed that PAS will not cooperate with Umno, the party's Spiritual Leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has taken the same stand as Hadi Awang, backing Khalid to stay in the office.

If ousted Khalid cooperates with Umno, and four PAS exco members stay, Pakatan Rakyat will inevitably face split or collapse. In fact, the PKR is supported by the DAP, and PAS had agreed to replace Khalid at the Pakatan Rakyat Supreme Council. However, Hadi Awang later changed his stand and instead supported Khalid to stay. While complicating the situation, it has also shown that it is not easy to control PAS.

There are various speculations over the motive behind the four exco members from PAS who did not leave after five exco members from the PKR and DAP were sacked and one resigned. Some people opine that staying in the office is meant to prevent Khalid from filling all the vacancies with Umno exco members; while some are worried that Selangor might be Islamised if the state government is dominated by PAS exco members. Since PAS and the DAP occupy 15 seats respectively in the state assembly, while the PKR occupies 14, and PAS has been acting aggressively, there is a possibility that PAS might have eyeing the Menteri Besar post.

Pakatan Rakyat has experienced many bitter struggles along the way to seize Putrajaya before achieving what they have today. However, the coalition is standing at the edge of collapse because of the Menteri Besar issue in Selangor. Would PAS defend a person, or two partners that have fighting along with it over all these years. The survival of Pakatan Rakyat depends on the central committee's decision on August 17.

-mysinchew