PETALING JAYA: PAS has insisted that its assemblymen will play no part in the Perlis executive committee despite an invitation from menteri besar Abu Bakar Hamzah.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said a directive has been issued to all PAS assemblymen in Perlis instructing them to adhere to the party’s stance.
“The party has made its decision and issued instructions to all PAS assemblymen in Perlis. We stand by this decision,” he told FMT.
“PAS has taken action against those who signed statutory declarations (withdrawing their support for previous PAS menteri besar Shukri Ramli). We will not support those who signed SDs to undermine PAS’s leadership.”
He was commenting on Abu Bakar’s invite for PAS assemblymen to join the exco he intends to form. The invitation was sent to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang recently.
Tuan Ibrahim said Abu Bakar’s exco lineup currently consists of four Bersatu assemblymen, who are expected to be sworn in at Istana Arau tomorrow.
On Dec 30, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the party’s exco members would step down from their posts in a show of support for Shukri, who resigned citing health reasons.
Takiyuddin also said PAS would refuse any exco post in Abu Bakar’s new lineup.
Abu Bakar was appointed amid a political crisis in the state which saw eight Perikatan Nasional assemblymen, including three from PAS, who reportedly submitted SDs to the ruler to withdraw their support for Shukri.
PAS terminated the memberships of the three assemblymen.
Feb 25 case management for legal challenge over assembly vacancies
The Kangar High Court has fixed Feb 25 for case management on the originating summons filed by three former PAS assemblymen, who are challenging assembly speaker Rus’sele Eizan and the legislative assembly over the declaration that their seats are vacant.
Justice Abazafree Abbas set the date during a hearing in chambers today, reported Bernama.
Former assemblymen Ridzuan Hashim, Fakhrul Anwar Ismail and Saad Seman were represented by lawyer Jamil Yaacob.
Rus’sele and the legislative assembly were represented by Perlis state legal adviser Yang Zaimey Yang Ghazali and assistant state legal adviser Che Rohana Ismail.
The claimants filed the summons on Jan 2 naming Rus’sele and the legislative assembly as the first and second defendants.
The case stems from an announcement on Dec 25 by Rus’sele, who declared the three seats vacant after PAS terminated the memberships of the trio.
Hadi had said on Dec 24 that the memberships were terminated in line with PAS’s constitution, which states that the membership of a person elected as an assemblyman is immediately terminated if the member joins or declares support for any party or faction that opposes the directives or stance of PAS.
He said the termination was also in line with a clause in the party’s constitution which dealt with disciplinary rules for members.
