Alasan kos elak PRN Terengganu bukti PAS tak ikhlas, kata Puad

Puad Zarkashi claims that PAS's refusal to hold a PRN (by-election) in Terengganu, along with Negeri Sembilan, reveals the party's lack of sincerity in offering political cooperation ahead of the 2016 general election. The former Umno Working Council member argues that this stance demonstrates the true nature of PAS, as the party never raised the issue of electoral expenses during the PRN in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the PAS deputy president, merely wants to test PAS's sincerity, he says. His response that it is unnecessary because involving electoral expenses exposes PAS's hypocrisy is dismissed by Puad. He questions why PAS did not vote on the electoral expenses issue when PRN were held in Johor and Negeri Sembilan. Puad suggests that holding a PRN earlier in one of the four states (SG4) could serve as a gauge of whether the Malaysian Muslim community supports ummah (Muslim) unity.

He argues that the lack of transparency in PAS's leadership decision-making, as demonstrated by Tuan Ibrahim's support for an early general election, is cause for concern. Puad also supports the notion that PAS is leveraging administrative advantages in the four states to pressure Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN), particularly in regions where BN failed to win any seats.

He endorses warnings from Mohamad that Umno should always be cautious when engaging in any political cooperation with PAS. Puad discusses Tuan Ibrahim's statement that there is no need to hold a PRN in Terengganu given the stable current administration. He believes that the government's excellent performance in the states constitutes a strong argument against imposing electoral expenses and political pressure on the populace.

Earlier, Mohamad, who is also Umno's deputy president, was accused of proposing a PRN in Terengganu to test PAS's sincerity in promoting Malay unity and demonstrating the party's commitment to political understanding. Mohamad suggested that if the sincerity test proved successful, it could serve as a model for Malay unity ahead of the 2016 general election.

Umno suffered a significant defeat in PRN Terengganu and also failed to win any of the 32 DUN (Dewan Negara) seats contested. The party also performed poorly in all eight State Assemblies during the 2015 elections.