Anwar claims Hadi was misunderstood

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal - The Malaysian Insider

Anwar (centre) says Hadi’s (right) comments yesterday were not taken in context. — file pic

SHAH ALAM, Dec 21 — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was forced today to play down Datuk Seri Hadi Awang’s remarks yesterday which suggested PAS was not in a hurry to have Pakatan Rakyat registered, claiming his opposition colleague had been misunderstood.

“We have to read his statement in the appropriate context because the decision to register Pakatan Rakyat was in our agreement,” said Anwar, who is also MP for Permatang Pauh.

The PKR de facto leader went through great pains to explain that a misunderstanding had happened, and that Hadi, himself and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang had already consented to apply to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) for formal registration of the opposition coalition.

Anwar claimed that Hadi’s contention was that the detailed plans of the formalisation had not been agreed to yet and would take time.

Yesterday, Hadi had suggested that the PR coalition was in no hurry to be formally registered, in remarks that appear to indicate PAS’ ideological differences with its political partners remained an obstacle.

“We do not want to act in a hurry to register Pakatan,” Hadi said.

“Pakatan does not necessarily have to become a single party. What is important is for us to bring out what we have in common, and to put off things which we do not agree on,” he was quoted as saying after a special meeting with political bloggers yesterday.

Hadi’s remarks came just a day after the PR coalition held its first ever convention. A common policy framework was also tabled at the convention.

His comments suggested PAS may still have doubts about joining a formal coalition.

This prompted Anwar to go into damage control today.

“There was a misunderstanding here. It is not that it is to be formalised based on the preliminary terms of reference and constitution, which have not been resolved.

“So I think there’s no problem with that, because as far as we are concerned, we are committed to register,” said Anwar.

“What Hadi has said is that because whenever we try to hasten it (the registering process) the RoS will slow it down,” he said.

Anwar also added that, for the time being, PR’s focus would be to concentrate on its policies, and not the formalising of the coalition.