2œ theSun | FRIDAY JUNE 19 2009

news without borders

Employer and PAS

maid bite
each other
by Bernard Cheah
Disunity over unity talks
Prime Comment by Maria J. Dass nant opposition party after the next
president
Datuk
Abdul Hadi
Awang:
“I have
spoken to
newsdesk@thesundaily.com Minister general election as indicated during PKR and
Datuk Seri PETALING JAYA: It’s ironical the recent party muktamar. DAP before making this
GEORGE TOWN: A female employer and her Indo- Najib Abdul that PAS’s proposed unity talks First to irk the voters was announcement (on a unity
nesian maid were left with bite marks on their arms Razak: with Umno seemed to have ignited Pemuda PAS’s collaboration with government). They have all
following a “cat-fight” between them in Cangkat disunity within PAS, and to an ex- Umno Youth to stop an inter-reli- accepted the suggestion
Minden here on Wednesday.
“I sense that tent, within the Pakatan Rakyat gious dialogue organised by the Bar
they (PAS) are as it is for the good of the
The 32-year-old maid ran from the employer’s coalition. Council. Later on, it was announced country. Objections to this
house to the Indonesian consulate after she was sincere about In recent weeks, the rhetoric that even before that, “unity talks”
bitten in the scuffle in the afternoon. The consulate holding unity talks and we has shifted and changed, and the between the two parties’ had been
are because people do not
then contacted the police at 3.30pm. are open to suggestions if it is term “unity talks” seems to have held immediately after the March understand the concept.”
The police brought the maid to Penang Hospital good for the country.” been liberally replaced with “unity 8, 2008 general election. These
for checks and confirmed the bite marks on both government”, depending on who included proposals for PAS to unite
her arms. reporters talk to, generating a lot of with Umno and form the state PAS
The 40-year-old employer lodged a police report confusion in the political discourse. government in Selangor despite secretary-
late Wednesday evening. She also had bite marks At the PAS muktamar on June Umno’s insistence that it was PAS general
on her arms, said George Town OCPD ACP Azam
Deputy
5, president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi that initiated talks with it.
Abd Hamid yesterday. Prime Awang had claimed that the pro- It was just under a year ago
Datuk
“We believe both had several arguments prior Minister posal for the formation of a unity when former prime minister Tun Mustafa
to this incident,” he told a press conference in the Tan Sri government (that had been put on Abdullah Ahmad Badawi admitted Ali:
George Town district police headquarters. Muhyiddin hold since Datuk Seri Najib Abdul that top leaders in Umno and PAS “We do not
Azam said police were still investigating what Yassin: Razak took over as prime minister) had been engaged in talks. PAS’s want to
triggered the incident and the case was being “PAS’s stand had resumed and that it now re- Abdul Hadi later conceded that betray our friends from
probed under Section 323 of the Penal Code for seems to ceived support from its PR partners, discussions had centred on Islam PKR and DAP, so if we
voluntarily causing hurt, which is punishable by up change every day, so it PKR and DAP. But the PR partners and Malay issues and that its rep- are going to sit down and
to one year’s imprisonment, fine of up to RM2,000 seem to be in the dark over this. resentatives had been reporting all have talks, the PKR and
or both.
is difficult for us to say
PAS deputy president Datuk discussions to the PAS central com-
anything.” Nasharudin Mat Isa has since mittee and consultative council.
DAP must be included as
consistently said that the talks had This has since divided PAS. well.”
nothing to do with PAS teaming Things came to a head on
PAS spiritual with Umno to form a unity govern- Wednesday when its spiritual
Join us this Sunday adviser ment but was all about tackling na- adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik
DAP
@ Calvary Church! Datuk Nik tional issues of common interest. Mat blew his top with Nasharudin,
Abdul Aziz However, some of his detractors calling him “immoral” and asking national
Assemblies of God
Nik Mat: in the party and even some Umno him to join Umno. chairman
DAMANSARA HEIGHTS “This idea did leaders kept using the term “unity Party insiders claim Nasharudin Karpal
2, Jln Damansara Endah, Damansara Heights, 50490 KL not come from government”, which gave rise to took his victory as deputy president Singh:
Worship Services @ 8am 10.30am 5pmO O

PAS but is one

suspicion that perhaps things are at the party polls as a mandate to “DAP has
Interpretation into Bahasa Malaysia not what they seem on the surface. pursue unity talks. However, mem- no intention
& Cantonese at 10.30am floated by certain individuals. Of late, Najib got PAS excited bers say that what he failed to see
SCG & CW @ 8am 10.30am If it is true that Nasharudin to join
O
when he said he sensed they were was that that endorsement came
is agreeable (to a unity sincere in their motive. His deputy, from delegates which are mostly
the unity talks. Hadi
DAMANSARA PERDANA
4th Floor, 20 Jln PJU 8/5G, government) then he had Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, how- from rural east coast divisions should scrap the idea. If
Bandar Damansara Perdana, 47820 PJ
better join Umno and resign ever, observed that PAS seemed which was not fully reflective of the Nasharudin continues to
Worship Service @10.30am
from his post as PAS deputy to be “shifting the goalposts” and new PAS membership base. insist on talks with Umno
Interpretation into Bahasa Malaysia
SCG @ 9am & CW @10.30am president and Bachok MP.” the constant changes in statements Most of those at the grassroots he should quit PAS.”
made it difficult to gauge the direc- level are the new breed of profes-
CHERAS tion of the talks. sionals. Nasharudin and Abdul
2nd & 3rd Floor, Block C, Lot 18113, Leaders from within PAS are Hadi are associated with the hard- DAP senior
off Jln Cerdas, Taman Connaught, 56000 KL now at loggerheads over the issue,
PAS deputy line Ulama wing. leader Lim
Worship Service @ 9am
Interpretation into Cantonese president and a rift is obvious, while their PR leaders are seemingly not too Kit Siang:
SCG @ 10.45am & CW @ 9am Nasharudin Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners are concerned as the frontliners in the
screaming for an explanation. PAS central committee are mostly “We are
AMPANG Mat Isa: There is concern now that all this against the unity talks with Umno. always
7th Floor, Wisma Central, Jln Ampang, 50450 KL “I have already is costing PAS voter sympathy. Those at the grassroots level see prepared
Worship Service @ 10.30am said that the
Interpretation into Cantonese The Islamist party had won a Nasharudin’s move as a means to to talk to
SCG @ 9am & CW @ 10.30am issue of PAS considerable amount of seats in remain relevant in the party. This is anyone
SCG|School of Christian Growth (Bible Study classes) joining BN or the last general election even in because, despite his win, he still does on matters of national
CW|Carpenter’s Workshop (Children’s programme) Umno is a non-issue. It is not non-Muslim majority areas. How- not have much to put him ahead of interest. But, again, the key
the agenda of any PAS leader ever, their victory was attributed the others where his position in PR term here is engagement
For non-Muslims only

Tel: 03-7728 6000
http://www.calvary.org.my
to join Umno or BN. Our
policy is to keep our doors
open to everyone. We are
ready to talk with anyone and
that is the decision from the
Senior Pastor: Rev. Tan Sri Prince Guneratnam, M.A., D.D., D.Litt., LLD. muktamar.”
mostly to anti-Barisan Nasional
sentiments at that time rather than
support for PAS per se.
PAS’s dance with the very party
that voters ousted in key states is
expected to dent the party’s appar-
ent plans of becoming the domi-
is concerned. Some members cite
and not the establishment
this as a reason why he finds his
relevance with Umno appealing.
of a PR-BN coalition
Perhaps the air will be cleared in the form of a unity
on Monday when PAS meets with government as initially
its PR partners to put everything proposed by Hadi and
Nasharudin.”
on the table.

briefs
Mukhriz says Umno has no
ulterior motive
KOTA BARU: Umno has no ulterior motive in
reacting positively to the proposed unity govern-
ment, Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said.
He said the idea of a unity government
between Umno and PAS, if realised, would be
able to unite the Malays, who were now split.
“We have no other intentions. What we
do is solely to achieve the best for all. We are
now facing stiff challenges as a result of the
world economic recession,” he told reporters
at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital’s
World Blood Donors Day celebration in Ku-
bang Kerian yesterday. – Bernama
Nik Aziz gets PAS MPs’
support to reject unity talks
KUALA LUMPUR: Ten PAS MPs issued a joint
statement yesterday supporting its spiritual
leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s stand to
reject the unity government talks.
The MPs are Dr Hatta Ramli (Kuala Krai), Khalid
Samad (Shah Alam), Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad (Kuala
Selangor), Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar (Tumpat),
Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (Rantai Panjang), Dr Siti
Mariah Mahmud (Kota Raja), Dr Lo Lo Mohamad
Ghazali (Titiwangsa), Dr Mohd Hayati Othman
(Pendang), Taib Azamudden Mohd Taib (Baling)
and Dr Mujahid Yusif Rawa (Parit Buntar).
Hatta, who is party treasurer, said the MPs
are holding firm to the decision made during the
muktamar earlier this month. “We want PAS to
strengthen Pakatan Rakyat and reject any form of
cooperation with Umno or Barisan Nasional includ-
ing the concept of unity government.”
End unity talks uproar, Guan
Eng tells Umno and PAS
GEORGE TOWN: DAP secretary-general Lim
Guan Eng said the unity talks can only be
pursued and ended by PAS and Umno since
they had not consulted their partners in their
respective coalitions. “It started with PAS and
Umno, and it must end with PAS and Umno,”
he told a press conference yesterday.
Meet Nik Aziz and explain
stand, Nash told
KUALA LUMPUR: PAS deputy president Nasharu-
din Mat Isa should explain to party spiritual leader
Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat his statement that
the party welcomed unity talks, said PAS vice-
presidents.
When met in the parliament lobby, party vice-
president and Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub
said it is better for Nasharudin to meet Nik Aziz to
explain what he had said on Tuesday so that the
issue can be solved and the grassroots pacified.
Party vice-president and Pokok Sena MP
Datuk Mahfuz Omar said Nasharudin should look
at the situation more positively. “What Tok Guru
(Nik Aziz) said is for a better future for him and
the party,” he said.
On Wednesday, Nasharudin was told to quit
the party by Nik Aziz after he made a statement
that he welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Razak’s comment that PAS is sincere in its
unity government talks.
MB to meet PAS leaders on
unity govt issue
KOTA BARU: Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk
Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who said yesterday
that Nasharudin Mat Isa should quit as PAS
deputy president and join Umno if he insists
on pursuing the unity government agenda, is
calling for a top-level meeting to discuss and
settle the issue.
He said as the party’s general adviser, he
had been given the responsibility to arrange
and chair the meeting. – Bernama