PAS-DAP cooperation is only benefitting DAP: Najib

Prime Minister Najib Razak today urged PAS to leave the Pakatan Rakyat coalition as only DAP is reaping benefits from three-member opposition coalition.

He said that the PAS-DAP cooperation is only benefitting the DAP and this could be clearly seen in the just-concluded Sarawak state election where PAS worked very hard but it was the DAP which won.

"In Terangganu, we see posters captioned "PAS ganti UMNO" (PAS replaces Umno) but in reality it's "DAP ganti PAS" (DAP replaces PAS)," he said.

According to Najib, PAS should get out of Pakatan and shift its attention elsewhere.

“It did not matter if the party (PAS) did not want to join the BN,” he said.

Najib said DAP was the dominant force in Pakatan and its two other partners - PAS and PKR - were playing second fiddle to it.

"We see in a number of issues DAP will object if they do not fit into their ideology. So if they were to form the government, they might not be able to agree on major issues," he said.

The prime minister said if PAS wanted to champion Islam, DAP was not the right partner to do this.

“What I want to say is that in the Pakatan coalition now, only the DAP is benefitting."

Islamic state debate needs to be settled urgently, says Karpal

PAS and DAP have long been in disagreement over Islamic state issue, with DAP is against the idea of transforming Malaysia into an Islamic state.

PAS has, however, in recent times expressed a renewed push for the concept; implementing it in stages should PR win federal power. The issue shows us that the cooperation between PAS and DAP is on a level of marriage of convenience.

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said that Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) dilemma over the Islamic state issue needed to be settled immediately.

The veteran politician said that he was concerned that Barisan Nasional would use the issue to try and sow discord among PR leaders.

“The issue of the Islamic state. This needs to be settled urgently.DAP will defend the constitution, and recognises Islam as the official religion.

“But the issue of the Islamic state ... can be discussed among us, and I am certain we can reach a consensus,” said Karpal.