ALOR SETAR: The Kedah Pakatan Rakyat's rally this Friday is to show the people that the state government is strong, united and stable.
Johari Abdul, the PKR MP for Sungai Petani, said the rally's main aim is to quash rumours and speculation that Kedah Pakatan government is on the verge of collapse.
All 20 Pakatan assemblymen and grassroots leaders are expected to attend the rally to be held at the state PAS headquarters in Kota Sarang Semut.
“We want to show the people of Kedah and all Malaysians that the Pakatan government is here to stay.
“We will not fall prey to Umno and Barisan Nasional's propaganda,” Johari, who is also the Kedah PKR election director, told FMT today.
But a Pakatan MP, who did not want to be identified, said that all was not well in the state administration.
The MP said Pakatan’s non-PAS assemblymen and MPs from Kedah have issues with PAS leaders due to the PAS-led state government's overwhelming dominance.
He said non-PAS assemblymen and MPs felt Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak was running the state like it was a PAS fiefdom, making a mockery of the Pakatan “power-sharing” concept.
He also claimed that PAS' senior leaders in Kedah showed scant respect to local leaders from PKR and DAP.
“PAS leaders, including Azizan, think that only their party is the ruling party. They ignore and neglect PKR and DAP's participation.
“PAS leaders frequently sideline and isolate their counterparts from other Pakatan parties in decision-making process.
“This is against the Common Policy Framework (CPF) espoused by Pakatan,” said the MP.
However, inspite of this, he believed that none of the three PKR and the single DAP assemblymen would defect from Pakatan and become independent representatives.
The PKR representatives are Tan Joon Long @ Tan Chow Kang (Sidam), S Manikumar (Bukit Selambau) and Lim Soo Nee (Kulim), all executive councillors in Azizan's government.
The DAP's sole legislator is Kota Darul Aman’s Lee Guang Aik.
Change in leadership style needed
Kedah has 36 state seats with Pakatan holding 20 (PAS 16, PKR three and DAP one), Barisan Nasional 14, and there are two independent assemblymen.
Mohammad Radzhi Salleh (Lunas) and Tan Wei Shu (Bakar Arang) are PKR turncoats who became independent representatives.
If two more assemblymen resign from the Pakatan alliance, it would result in a hung state legislative assembly.
The MP said he believed that the remaining PKR and DAP assemblymen were people of integrity who would not want to jeopardise their political standing “for a fistful of dollars”.
“I personally believe that the state Pakatan government would be able to complete its full term,” the MP told FMT.
However, he forecast that Pakatan may not be able to retain Kedah in the next election.
“There is discontentment among PKR and DAP local leaders and non-Muslim Kedahans as well against PAS rule.
“PAS seems to be ruling with a racial slant,” claimed the MP. "But all is not lost and the onus is on Azizan to change his leadership style and be more accommodative to the needs and requests of PKR and DAP.”
He said PAS must implement policies to protect the interests of minorities, especially Chinese and Indians.
“If the MB can turn things around between now and the next general election, Pakatan has a better chance,” he said.
PKR has been rocked by defections since early last year. Those who quit were Perak assemblymen Mohd Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering) and Jamaluddin Mat Radzi (Behrang); Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah; and MPs Zahrain Mohd Hashim (Bayan Baru), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal), Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai) and recently Wee Chee Keong (Wangsa Maju).
Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin has also become an independent after being sacked by PKR. Apart from the elected representatives, former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim and former Penang deputy chief minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin also left the party.
DAP has one defector, Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong in Perak.
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