DAP Secretary General Lim Guan Eng has urged PAS to state its stand on whether it is with or against UMNO in supporting Khalid Ibrahim as the Selangor MB despite being excommunicated by his own party, PKR.

“Only with PAS’s 15 ADUNs together with Khalid himself, do we have a political stalemate of pro-Khalid and anti-Tan Sri Khalid supporters each having 28 Assemblypersons,” Lim Guan Eng explained that UMNO’s 12 Assemblymen without the support of PAS does not constitute a majority in the 56 person Selangor State Assembly.

“Any delay in making this declaration is unacceptable because it does not measure up to responsibility of the mandate of Selangor voters who returned 15 PAS ADUNs in the 2013 general elections,” Guan Eng demanded that the 15 State Assemblymen from PAS state their stand.

Guan Eng warned that failure by PAS to provide clarity will only further erode PR popular support and damage voters’ confidence not only in Selangor but also nationally.

On August 11, UMNO Deputy President Muhyiddin Yassin had escalated matters when he announced that UMNO’s 12 Selangor State Assemblymen are in favour of Khalid to continue as Menteri Besar.

This prompted DAP including its parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang to call for Pakatan Rakyat to respond fast to high speed political changes and declare the stand of the 43 Selangor Pakatan Rakyat State Reps.

Since the PKR and DAP leadership have supported the removal of Khalid as MB, the Pakatan coalition has been left waiting for PAS’s August 17 announcement of their stand. Initially, PAS had chosen August 10 to convene for a meeting and state their position. However, it was then postponed to August 13 and subsequently moved again to August 17. Following UMNO’s declaration of support for Khalid, DAP is now asking PAS to hasten its decision making process.

Guan Eng added that if PAS declares that they are not with UMNO, it will help to clarify that the party agrees with the replacing of Khalid Ibrahim, but wishes to wait for 17 August for its endorsement of Dr Wan Azizah as the next MB of Selangor. In the event that PAS refuses to endorse a change of MB, Guan Eng said that it would immediately lead to a break-up and the end of Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor and nationally. -TheRocket