People had enough with Pakatan bickering, says PAS leader

Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man says there are more similarities that Pakatan Rakyat partners can focus upon. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 26, 2015.PAS vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has reminded Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders to put aside differences and focus instead on their similarities for the sake of all Malaysians.He said people were getting fed up with the seemingly never-ending infighting between PKR, DAP and PAS."Did PR not agree before that there are more similarities between the three parties than there are differences?"Why then the need to take on one another over these minor differences and setting aside the things that bring us together?" he asked, expressing disappointment with the current clash between PAS and DAP over local government elections.PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang last Friday warned DAP that their push for local council elections in Penang could widen the racial divide in Chinese-majority urban areas and lead to a repeat of the May 13 riots.His remarks came after a war of words between PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali and DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke, in which the former labelled DAP as “arrogant" for saying the implementation of hudud was against PR’s common principles but violating the same principles by wanting to implement local council elections.Instead of joining the chorus of dissent against DAP’s proposal like other PAS members, Tuan Ibrahim said he believed each party had its own policies and agendas to uphold."When there is a political coalition between the parties, there needs to be tolerance and respect between the respective parties," he said.To him, enlarging the gap of differences would inadvertently shrink the room of similarities and if allowed to go on, would eventually ruined the consensus and understanding between the parties.

"In this case, we should look at our similarities, enlarge it, so that our cooperation will flourish and become strong.

"This is the attitude we should strive to take if Pakatan Rakyat is to survive," said Tuan Ibrahim.

He also reminded the three parties of the need to restore public confidence in the coalition and suggested that perhaps it was time to rethink everything because each party was aware that no one party could achieve success on its own. – January 26, 2015.