Now it’s Dr M’s turn to tick off PAS for DAP to cooperate against 1MDB PM Najib

Now it’s Dr M’s turn to tick off PAS for DAP to cooperate against 1MDB PM Najib

Malaysians have never dreamed that a day will come when both former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Dr M) and former deputy prime minster Muhyiddin Yassin would be defending DAP against PAS.

(Read this for context: http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/10/muhyiddin-politician-evolving.html)

Both Dr M and Muhyiddin, chairman and president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Pribumi) respectively, are working hard to get PAS and DAP back into a united Opposition platform, or at least work together to do electoral battle against a common foe - 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN).

Najib is widely expected to take advantage of a critically fractured Opposition to call for a snap 14th General Election (GE14) to consolidate his premiership.

Read what Dr M has to say, as reported by online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

Also appended below is another FMT report to update No News Is Bad News visitors and readers on the political earthquake that is shaking Sabah now (Read these for context: http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/10/slowly-but-surely-more-and-more-unfolds.html and http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/10/political-heat-rising-fast-in-1mdb.html):

"Mahathir hopes to bring PAS on board

FMT Reporters

October 8, 2016

He will help them overcome their distate of DAP, reminding PAS that they made gains before with Chinese support.


PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad hopes to help PAS overcome its distaste of the DAP, reminding the Islamic party it had previously made electoral gains because of Chinese votes.

Speaking at a forum here today, Dr Mahathir said: “I hope to be able to talk with PAS to explain that if they don’t want to be in a coalition with us, they in fact will be helping the government because they are going to lose many seats.”

Dr Mahathir is chairman of the new Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, which seeks to build a united opposition front against the Barisan Nasional.

He said the opposition would lose the next general election if the Islamic party refuses to work together with other parties.

PAS has been at loggerheads with the DAP over plans to impose Islamic criminal penalties in Kelantan, which caused a breakup of the Pakatan Rakyat alliance. A new alliance called Pakatan Harapan was formed between PKR, DAP and the Amanah party, formed by breakaway PAS dissidents.

Responding to a question at the forum, Mahathir said that it was “very sad” that PAS refused to work with DAP. “PAS elected members increased by working with DAP because Chinese voters helped PAS to win in areas where there were quite big numbers of Chinese voters,” he said.

Asked how he could reconcile with PAS while being opposed to PAS’ plans on hudud, Dr Mahathir said the opposition parties should not focus on differences if they wished to oust BN.“There are difference between us, but if we stress on differences, we can’t work together. “So we want to work to change the government that is very oppressive. It is not liberal. After that, we handle the problems together,” he said, according to Malaysiakini."

"Shafie reserves comment on Sabah water deals
FMT Reporters

| October 8, 2016

Semporna MP says state leaders showing lack of respect for MACC by trying to divert blame about federal allocations for water projects.

PETALING JAYA: Semporna MP Mohd Shafie Apdal says it is “amusing” that Sabahan authorities are in such a haste to plead their innocence about Sabah water projects being investigated for corruption.

In a statement issued today, Shafie said the state authorities, in trying to divert blame to the federal Rural Regional Development Ministry, while investigations were under way by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, showed little respect and confidence in the MACC.

Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan had said yesterday that the state government had nothing to do with the federal allocations of RM3.3 billion to the Sabah Water Department.

Anti-corruption officials have said as much as 60 per cent of the money had been siphoned off.

Kitingan was quoted by The Star as saying that the projects, allocated since 2010, were under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry during Shafie’s tenure as the Minister.

Shafie chose to reserve his response on the matter saying that he wanted to be sure that investigations went along smoothly.

“We must not interfere or be seen to be interfering with the ongoing investigation by making public statements and pleas of innocence so as to ensure that the integrity of the investigation by the MACC is not compromised.

“If I am requested to assist in the investigation, I am more than willing to cooperate and give my assistance in any manner that I can.”

Pairin, who is state Industrial Development Minister, said his ministry had no knowledge of the allocations as the Water Department was the implementing agency for the federal funds.

Pairin said the project procurement and payments were handled by the federal ministry and the Water Department.Investigators are looking into the possibility of some VIPS having links to the bribery and money laundering that have now been uncovered."