Hadi adalah punca utama kematian Pakatan Rakyat bukan saja kerana mencabul Dasar Bersama dan prinsip muafakat Pakatan Rakyat tetapi juga kerana cuba untuk menjadi “tuan” Pakatan Rakyat

It is with great reluctance that I have to state my utmost regret that PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is continuing to parrot the baseless UMNO propaganda line that DAP wants to be “master” over other parties to camouflage his new political stand to be Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stoutest defender at a time when even UMNO leaders and members are looking for new directions for the country.

For instance, the Cheras Umno chief Syed Ali Alhabshee yesterday dismissed the proposed new opposition pact as incapable of posing any threat to Umno’s hold on power, but went on to perpetuate the lie that the new coalition would be dominated by DAP alleging that this was the case with the expired Pakatan Rakyat.

This the same line parroted by Hadi yesterday, saying that those who appreciate the Islamic struggle will not make DAP their masters, perpetuating the UMNO line that DAP wants to be “master” in a “master-servant” relationship with other political parties and forces.

This is not only utterly baseless and most contemptible falsehood from a former PR leader.

Pakatan Rakyat was to blaze a new coalition politics in Malaysia, based on a coming-together of political equals based on the PR consensus operational principle where every PR decision or policy must be reached by consensus of all three component parties, where no single party or leader holds veto power to override the decision reached by consensus of the leaders of the three component parties.

It was precisely because Hadi violated not only the PR Common Policy Framework but the consensus operational principle, wanting to be “master” in Pakatan Rakyat that PR went from one crisis to another, viz:

  1. Violating the Pakatan Rakyat policy of promoting a one-to-one electoral contest with Barisan Nasional by despatching PAS candidates on Nomination Day to contest against PKR in six state assembly constituencies in the 13th General Elections, causing UMNO candidates to win in all these six seats;
  2. Overruling the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council decision on August 17, 2014 with PAS represented by Deputy President Mat Sabu on behalf of Hadi, that the PKR President Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail be appointed as Selangor Mentri Besar.
  3. Hadi’s breach of his personal commitment at the PR Leadership Council meeting of Feb. 8, 2015 that any amendment to the 1995 Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment and any private member’s bill motion in Parliament on hudud implementation would first be presented to the PR Leadership Council.

Hadi’s ambition to be the “master” in Pakatan Rakyat violates the fundamental principle of PR as a coalition of equals sealed by the operational principle of consensus and the PR Common Policy Framework.

This is the reason why Hadi overruled the PR Leadership Council decision to appoint Azizah as Selangor Mentri Besar on account of her being a woman.

In fact, Hadi also did not agree to the proposal for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be the PR candidate for Prime Minister.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that Hadi was the single cause of the death of Pakatan Rakyat because Hadi violated not only the PR Common Policy Framework and the PR consensus operational principle but wanted to be the “master” of PR, exercising veto and overriding powers not only against the PAS Central Executive but also the PR Leadership Council.

Hadi’s concept of politics, including coalition politics, is completely incompatible with democracy, pluralism, human rights, cultural diversity, women’s rights and the idea of development and modernity.

I said yesterday that it is Hadi’s prerogative if he wants to provide a life-line to support Najib and to shore up the Prime Minister in the gathering storm over the 1MDB scandal, but he has no right to tell lies and falsehoods about the DAP in pursuit of his new political objective to be “a friend in need is a friend indeed” to Najib who faced mounting calls for his resignation, even coming from UMNO circles.

One year ago, I could state with confidence that if there is a confidence motion on Najib as Prime Minister in Parliament, all the MPs from Pakatan Rakyat would cast a vote of no confidence against Najib.

This is not the position today. Will Hadi and his stalwarts support any such vote of no confidence against Najib in Parliament? This is unlikely considering Hadi’s extraordinary defence of Najib.

A year ago, there will be no doubt that all the Pakatan Rakyat MPs from DAP, PKR and PAS would have voted in unison to demand full accountability and transparency into the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal. Would Hadi and his stalwarts now support such a parliamentary motion?

Hadi can change his political stand and stripes to be the stoutest defender of Najib but don’t do so as the expense of truth, justice and honesty by parroting UMNO lies and falsehoods against the DAP.

Lim Kit Siang KETUA PARLIMEN DAP & AHLI PARLIMEN GELANG PATAH