Amidst rumours of rifts within the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition, the DAP has rubbished a fresh barrage of accusations from PAS about the formers’ aspirations to form federal government.

DAP National Organising Secretary Anthony Loke in a statement denied allegations by PAS Secretary General Mustafa Ali that DAP was contented with administrating Penang and had given up aspirations of capturing Putrajaya.

Mustafa, in the interview with Chinese-language daily Sin Chew Daily said that DAP was only interested in winning some seats in Sarawak.

Mustafa also said that DAP leaders belittled and badmouthed the Islamic party, especially in the Islamic party’s push for the implementation of hudud punishment in Kelantan.

However, Loke insists that DAP has not given up on the coalition’s purpose, nor has it ‘badmouthed’ PAS.

“DAP reaffirms that we have never given up in our effort to topple Barisan Nasional at the federal level and for a new Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya,” said Loke.

“This is why the DAP, along with PKR and PAS, carries the torch of hope fueled by 52 percent of the people of Malaysia who had given us their mandate in GE 13,” he said.

He added that every party had a responsibility of realising the hopes of the majority to form a new government leadership in Putrajaya; and despite PAS’s push for hudud punishment in Kelantan, which the DAP strongly opposes, Loke said DAP had put aside differences and focused on aid and helping the PAS-led Kelantan recover from the recent floods.

“We have never intended to badmouth anyone in PAS, we were only critical of the decision by PAS Kelantan to carry on with establishing hudud punishment in the state, as this is not part of Pakatan Rakyat’s consensus and has never been discussed by Pakatan Rakyat’s leadership council.”

The coalition’s common policy framework, or the Buku Jingga, does not discuss hudud as being part of its agenda.

“DAP would like to stress that the issue of hudud in Kelantan or PAS’s move to table a Private Law bill in Parliament to enable the implementation of hudud was never discussed with Pakatan’s leadership council. This is why the DAP openly criticises PAS’s decisions.”

Last April, PAS Kelantan had announced plans to introduce two private members’ Bills in Parliament to allow it to enforce hudud in the state, a move which was met with heavy resistance from secular DAP. The move was shelved amidst criticism, but the debate over hudud continues to drive a wedge between DAP and PAS.

Loke said that the DAP, were committed to the struggle of Pakatan Rakyat to bring new politics to Malaysia, and to be an alternative to Barisan Nasional. He said that this included the fight for justice, a good administration, opposing corruption, peoples welfare and at the same time, putting aside issues that the parties do not have consensus on. -The Rocket