SHAH ALAM: Former Pas Selangor commissioner Dr Abdul Rani Osman yesterday expressed his opinion that Pas should not break off from Pakatan Rakyat.
The Meru assemblyman said this was because it was not Pas or DAP or PKR alone that defeated Barisan Nasional (BN) in Selangor but Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as a whole.
"The party that defeated BN is PR, so personally I do not want Pas to exit PR.
"Whatever decision is made (by the central committee on the Menteri Besar issue) we will obey but I do not agree for PR to split ways," he told reporters at the lobby of Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, here, yesterday.
His opinion differed from Ulama Council chief Datuk Ahmad Yaakob's statement that PAS is ready to strike out on its own if Pakatan fails to agree on the future of embattled Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
Ahmad, who is also Kelantan menteri besar, said the council supported the view of Pas spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat who said the party had no problem leaving the opposition coalition because of differences on the sacking of Khalid.
When asked whether he personally supported Khalid, Dr Rani declined to answer, saying that the party had issued a gag order on its members regarding this issue.
However, he cleared the air on Pas's stand on women being elected as leaders saying it was wrong to think that Pas did not agree to a female Menteri Besar.
"If we do not want women leaders, why would we put Dr Halimah in Selat Klang? Why would we have Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud? And there are many more. That (gender) is not the problem," he emphasised.
