Retire, PAS member tells Anwar for dragging Malaysians into his personal agenda

PAS’s research centre operations director Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki has hit out at opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, calling him a "dictator" in the way he has managed Pakatan Rakyat.

Malaysiakini revealed that Zuhdi had lashed out at Anwar just a day before the portal reported his controversial messages in WhatsApp, in which several PAS leaders were discussing the possible scenarios if the party were to leave the opposition coalition.

Zuhdi in a Facebook posting had said that his Hari Raya wish was for Anwar to retire, the report said.

"I wish Eidul Fitri al-Mubarak to Anwar Ibrahim, with the sincere hope that you retire from politics, too many Malaysians from all walks of life are being dragged into your personal agenda," the posting on Sunday read.

He said it was almost as if the PKR de facto leader had "limitless powers", adding that Anwar had announced several moves without consulting other members of the coalition.

Zuhdi, the report said, had taken to Facebook again yesterday following his leaked WhatsApp messages, saying he believed the reason he was targeted was because of his earlier criticism of Anwar.

"I am just reflecting others' opinions. That is the problem when only my message is revealed but not the messages before that," Zuhdi had written.

Zuhdi in the WhatsApp messages said that if PAS should leave Pakatan, the coalition could still retain Selangor with Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim remaining as menteri besar if it joined forces with Umno to form the state government with a simple majority.

He also said that should DAP, the church and non-Muslims bring up issues concerning the usage of the word “Allah” and the seizure of the Bibles by the state religious department, PAS-Umno would be able to frisk off their complaints.

It is believed that the messages were leaked by a PAS central committee member to show the thinking of the faction in the party belonging to president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

The friction among parties in the PR coalition – PKR, PAS and DAP – has escalated in the past week following PAS’s resistance to removing Khalid as Selangor MB and replacing him with PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Hadi had publicly thrown his support behind Khalid and said he disagreed with replacing the latter.

There have been numerous complaints against Khalid, who is a two-term MB, for running the state unilaterally without consulting PKR or the national Pakatan leadership.

He has also been criticised for his handling of issues such as water rationing, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's seizure of Bahasa Malaysia and Iban-language Bibles and support for the Kinrara Damansara Expressway (Kidex), which upset some Pakatan leaders as it was seen as going against the pact's election manifesto to abolish tolled highways. – July 29, 2014.