GEORGE TOWN – With component parties in Perikatan Nasional arguing over who should lead the coalition in Penang at the next general elections, the state’s PAS division remains unperturbed by it.
Speaking to Scoop, Penang PAS commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff said that it is pointless to debate which Perikatan Nasional (PN) component party should lead the coalition in Penang for the next general elections when efforts and focus should be put into strengthening the coalition’s position in the state.
Fauzi said that Penang PAS is currently focusing on fulfilling its pledge in the seven state constituencies that it controls and also voicing concerns about pressing issues concerning Penangites.
“Each party is entitled to its opinions on who should lead the PN in the state. However, it is pointless for us to discuss this matter when our priority should be on strengthening the PN coalition for the next elections,” he said.
Fauzi’s comments come in the wake of a row that has erupted within PN between Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) regarding which party should lead the state after reports that PN plans to focus on Malay and Indian voters to secure a slim majority in the next state election.
MIPP president P. Punithan reportedly said that his party was open to discussions about assuming a leadership role in Penang for PN, while Gerakan’s president, Datuk Dominic Lau, dismissed MIPP’s ambition by citing its past contributions to the state for four decades and stated that Gerakan is well established in the state.
Meanwhile, echoing Fauzi is Penang PAS information chief Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan, who said that each component party should be focusing on wooing the multiracial segments of Penang society.
Asked whether PAS feels that it should be given the leadership mantle, he said that the party has never been demanding on this issue, as it has more pressing matters to deal with, which is preparing the PN for the next state and general elections.
“Each component party has its segments (of society) to focus on: MIPP with the Indians, Gerakan with the Chinese, and PAS and Bersatu with the Malays. PN is complete (in this sense).
“It is just that we need to work together in winning over the hearts of the rakyat based on their respective segments,” he told Scoop when contacted.
While acknowledging that PAS should naturally lead the coalition given the number of state seats that it controls, Fauzi and Fawwaz are of the view that the matter should be decided by the PN national leadership.
At the same time, Penang PAS Youth vice-chief Hafiz Alias Al-Baghoni expressed his disappointment with the bickering between Gerakan and MIPP on the leadership issue, as he felt that their actions would lead to a trust deficit among the voters who felt that these parties were merely engaging in power struggles.
“We need to show the people that we are functioning so that the Malays, Chinese, and Indians here feel more confident in PN’s ability to administer Penang. We should not be debating who should be the coalition’s chairman, which I find to be a waste of time,” he said.
Commenting further on the leadership ambitions harboured by Gerakan, Hafiz said that while he does not deny the party’s past contributions to developing Penang, he feels that the party needs to change its approach in terms of its groundwork and manifesto to keep up with the times.
He also said that both Gerakan and MIPP need to prove that they can win over the public.
“They can keep arguing about who should lead the PN in Penang. But we know that at the end of the day, they will come to PAS during the elections for help, as we have the machinery all over the state – even in Chinese and Indian areas through our Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (wing),” he added. – January 31, 2025