Hadi to clear air over Umno-PAS talks

By Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang are due to meet today as Pakatan Rakyat (PR) aims to close ranks after a shaky start to the year.

The closed-door meeting will take place ahead of a large-scale political rally in Shah Alam tonight, where both leaders will be joined by PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in a show of solidarity.

Top of the agenda for the meeting between Opposition Leader Anwar and the PAS president will likely be the Christmas eve audience with the Yang diPertuan Agong, which was attended by Hadi, Nik Aziz, PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa and Umno’s top two leaders.

The dinner was seen as another attempt to revive the talks on political co-operation with Umno in the name of Malay/Muslim unity, although both Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Nik Aziz have refused to comment on the meeting.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution told The Malaysian Insider that today’s meeting will address issues that have plagued the opposition pact since the turn of the year.

Apart from the unity talks, the impasse over the appointment of the Selangor state secretary is also high on the agenda as it involves the palace and, therefore, the support of Malay voters.

“But I don’t think the ceramah will touch on the Christmas eve meeting. It’ll be about the state secretary, Anwar’s sodomy trial and our 100-day plan when we take federal government,” he said.

The row over Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi’s appointment has escalated to the point where the PKR-led state government is now seeking to implement constitutional amendments that will allow it to regain the pre-1993 authority to appoint the state’s secretary and other senior civil servants.

“It will be a chance for us to close ranks and echo the same message,” the Machang MP added.

However, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad believed that the leaders may bring up the Umno-PAS meet as it would strengthen the claims that Umno was manipulating the royalty — both to install its choice of state secretary as well as getting PAS leaders to meet them and cause suspicion in PR.

The PAS leader added that the rally had been planned weeks ago to pray for Anwar as the party believes the PKR de facto leader is not getting a fair trial over his sodomy charge.

But the state secretary crisis has now been added to the outline and Khalid believes it will enhance the message that “we are together with PR in our shared battles.”

Word of the renewed unity talks has caused concern among PAS’s allies as it took place just a week after the coalition had its second convention in Penang to discuss their policies and programmes ahead of snap polls expected this year.

The question of political co-operation with Umno became a major campaign issue in the 2009 PAS election after it was revealed that its leaders, including PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa and Selangor chief Datuk Hasan Ali, met then prime minister Tun Abdullah Badawi and former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo after Election 2008 to explore the possibility of forming a unity government.

Leaders aligned to Nik Aziz then accused Nasharuddin of conspiring to take PAS out of PR, but the deputy president successfully defended his post in a three-cornered fight with Mohamad Sabu and Kelantan executive councillor Datuk Husam Musa.

Sources familiar with the latest move to bring PAS into the BN government revealed that both Hadi and Nasharuddin would be given prominent roles in Putrajaya if the party decides to abandon PR, but Nik Aziz continues to be the major obstacle in bringing the party closer to the ruling coalition.

PAS holds 23 parliamentary seats within the PR coalition and controls two states, Kelantan and Kedah. Its presence in the other two PR-ruled states, Penang and Selangor, is also crucial to maintain PR’s majority and Malay support.

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