PAS not threatened by signing of Pakatan Harapan agreement - Hadi

PAS's position is not threatened by the signing of the Pakatan Harapan agreement involving the coalition of opposition political parties DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) yesterday, said PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

He said he viewed it as a normal matter in the local political scene.

"We (PAS) see this as normal in the country's politics. Coalitions are not new in this country, Pakatan Harapan and all sorts of coalitions have existed in the country in the past 60 years.

"Some collapsed, some are dead, some collapsed and never woke up. We continue to stand and rise. PAS is becoming stronger day by day," he told reporters after officiating a party function at the Kuala Selangor Indoor Stadium here, today.

Pakatan Harapan yesterday officially formed a legally binding agreement on the union of the three parties in the coalition which was signed by the leaders of the three parties, namely PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng.

Meanwhile, PAS vice-president Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad acknowledged that DAP's proposal to field candidates in eight Selangor state assembly seats held by PAS in the next general election was seen as a threat to the party.

"DAP has announced it will contest in eight Selangor state assembly seats won by PAS in the 13th General Election. Therefore, DAP is also a threat to PAS as how Barisan Nasional (BN) is currently," he said.

Iskandar, who is also Selangor PAS commissioner, was speaking at a press conference function.

Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua was quoted as saying the party was already preparing to contest eight seats held by PAS in Selangor, but the matter would first have to be finalised at the Selangor Pakatan Harapan meeting.

According to Iskandar, PAS intends to contest 25 seats in Selangor in the 14th General Election, compared to 20 the last time.

In the 13th General Election, PAS won 15 of 56 seats in Selangor before two assemblymen quit the party to join Amanah, which has now left PAS with 13 seats.