Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today blasted PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for claiming that the Islamist party is being offered to be part of the unity government.
“(Hadi) should not be so full of himself to think that (PAS) will be offered to join the unity government,” he reportedly told a press conference during an event in Bagan Datuk, Perak earlier today.
The Umno president was asked to respond to Hadi’s remarks yesterday, where the PAS supremo claimed that “certain people” offered the party to join the government.
According to Zahid, he has no knowledge of such an offer to PAS.
Instead, the Bagan Datuk MP told PAS to remain in Perikatan Nasional (PN) – with Bersatu and its other allies.
“‘Jangan perasan’ (stop being full of yourself) that anyone would offer PAS to join the government,” Zahid reportedly said.
Yesterday, Hadi alleged that “certain people” had been wanting to meet him about an offer to join the government.
However, he said the offer would not be advantageous to PAS.
Hadi asserted that PAS should be given a dominant role as it had the most number of parliamentary seats, of all parties.
“PAS has 43 seats (and all its MPs are Malay-Muslims). PKR only has 30, with nine MPs being non-Malays and only 19 being Muslims.
“On the other hand, of the DAP’s 40 seats, 37 of the MPs are non-Malays.
“They want to invite PAS, but PAS would be taking a backseat,” he was quoted as saying by FMT at a press conference at World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur yesterday. – FMT