PAS: Mandate the people to determine the country's direction

The Islamist party PAS has proposed that Malaysians should be given the opportunity to determine the nation's direction through a fresh mandate, suggesting that the current unity government is showing signs of internal division. This sentiment was voiced by PAS Assistant Secretary-General Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil.

Kamil indicated that if the Democratic Action Party (DAP) decides to withdraw from the Madani Government's cabinet, it would represent more than just an administrative reshuffling. "It is proof that the government built in the name of 'unity' has begun to lose cohesion and trust among its own coalition partners," he stated in a press release.

His comments follow a statement by DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who announced that the party's position within the government would be decided by its delegates at the National DAP Convention on August 16. A motion will be presented to determine whether the party will remain in the government or not, with the decision resting with eligible voting delegates rather than the Central Executive Committee (CEC).

Kamil further argued that the Malaysian people do not want a government that remains in power merely because it holds sufficient numbers in Parliament. He suggested that a party's withdrawal from the cabinet would reflect a decline in confidence in the government's leadership. "How can the government continue to claim stability when one of its coalition parties is no longer willing to shoulder the responsibility of governing the country?" he questioned.

Concluding his remarks, Khairul stressed that democracy is not solely about maintaining power but also about preserving the trust and belief of the people. "When that trust begins to erode, the mandate should rightfully be returned to the true owners of power, which is the people," he added.