By Yeo Bee Yin, State Assemblywoman for Damansara Utama

Today is a fateful day for Pakatan Rakyat when PAS Central Committee finally meet to decide on the Selangor MB. But before that, I would like to honour these two brave Pakatan Rakyat colleagues for their decisions to come to the press conference to openly support the removal of Khalid Ibrahim. Their move has kept Pakatan Rakyat in tact in the midst of the MB crisis.

I was one of the 30 ADUN’s that signed the statutory declarations. But even until that morning before the press conference, I was worried that we did not have enough numbers to prove the majority. DAP 15, PKR 13, we only had 28. PAS had not decided. I heard two from PAS would come but I wasn’t sure if they would show up. Do you know what it means to break party rank? End of your political career in the party (most likely won’t be given candidacy the next term) or at the very least, be sent to the disciplinary committee.

Then I saw YB Hasnul came. He was smiling, but I could see from his expression that he was nervous, like a child who just broke the law. He was mingling around trying to look calm.

The clock ticked, I was waiting for another PAS ADUN to show up.

I heard YB Saari would come. He has been a good role model to me since I knew him. He is the chairman of the GLC Select Committee which I sit in. A former ISA detainee, a book writer, he is soft and calm yet knowledgeable, firm and principled. I always look up to him and learn from him. But would he risk his career and come? I wasn’t sure.

Then I saw YB Saari come in. As usual, he was carrying his backpack, walking in gently and calmly. His wife was with him by his side and she said to me “I feel like we are going back to the period when he (YB Saari) was detained under ISA again.” Wow, that’s the magnitude of stress to make such move for their family! I was so touched, my eyes got wet but I quickly rub them off (so shy la to be emotional at this time!).

In the midst of all the disappointments, I saw my ‘rakan perjuangan’ who are courageous to take a stand, a stand to keep Pakatan Rakyat in tact and a stand to preserve our 2-party democracy in Malaysia.

Whatever PAS decides today, we’ll face it. The journey is long and we are only at the beginning. But I’ll remember that day, when two brave men decided to make a difficult decision and gave me the inspiration for the journey ahead.

Thank you YB Hasnul and YB Saari, I’ll tell my children about your courageous stories.