PAS wings’ support for Hadi as future PM continues to put Opposition partners in a spot

KUALA LUMPUR: The PAS Ulama and Muslimat wings' support for party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to be made prime minister should Pakatan Rakyat come to power continues to put other Opposition coalition members in a spot. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, widely seen as the premier-in-waiting, was evasive when reporters asked for his response. "It's okay. No problem. We will discuss in a nice manner", he said as he walked briskly to his car after launching a convention on national education at Universiti Selangor (Unisel) in Shah Alam on Sunday. He said he had to rush off to another function in Kuantan. However, DAP was characteristically vocal. Its deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw said bluntly on Sunday that Anwar would be prime minister should Pakatan win the 13th general election and hudud law would not be implemented. “All of us have agreed that Anwar will be the PM should we take over Putrajaya. “In a democracy, we, of course, allow for differing opinions, but the consensus in Pakatan that Anwar remains the PM-in-waiting is final, so even if the PAS Ulama and Muslimat wings say otherwise, it makes no difference,” he said. He said that the Pakatan Rakyat leadership would only implement policies that have the consensus of all three-component parties, and reject those which have yet to obtain it. At the same time, it was the lack of consensus that has stopped the implementation of hudud law from becoming part of Pakatan's common framework policy. “If there is consensus, we will enforce it. If not, we won't. And the decision from the leadership is final,” he told reporters after a DAP ceramah in Kepong Baru on Sunday morning, reiterating the DAP's position on the matter. He also said that it was “pure politicking” by Barisan National to imply that the Islamic penal code could be so easily implemented. He said that it required an amendment to the Federal Constitution to implement hudud and any amendment to the constitution required consent from two-thirds of the members of parliament. At the 58th PAS muktamar in Kota Baru on Saturday Dewan Ulama representative Hairun Nizam had said Hadi was the best candidate for the job if the coalition took over Putrajaya, a sentiment echoed by PAS Muslimat on Sunday. When pressed for a reaction, Hadi had earlier dodged responding directly, saying instead, that he would rather be a "servant" to the people and country. “Whoever becomes the prime minister needs the support of the party and people. I would rather be a khadam (servant) to the people," he had said. Meanwhile, in Ipoh, Umno treasurer Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said Sunday the Opposition's inability to agree on a common platform and contest under a common flag in the upcoming general elections showed that they could not govern the country. “PAS will definitely want to implement their Islamic ways if Pakatan comes into power and if it is not done, it will destroy the Opposition. “Intellectually, if they cannot even be united in contesting as a single party, then they are incapable of being united to rule the country,” he said in a press conference in Manjoi here on Sunday. “As such, I do not see that they have any hope of winning in the upcoming elections,” he said.

tunku : it looks like pas can keep n dreaming that it's president will be the choice forprime minister should they win the next GE. and again they can keep lying to Muslims that they will implement hudud as pakatan will never agree to it and the most important thing is hadi awang,anwar ibrahim and lim kit siang had signed an agreement in december 2009 that should pakatan capture Putrajaya hudud will not be implemented.