Let us not be punished, PAS only reaps benefit from party-hopping politics - Hadi Awang

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has asked that PAS not be punished if anyone leaves or joins the party.

According to the Member of Parliament for Marang, PAS only benefits from the party-hopping politics that has happened.

In a post on his Facebook on Wednesday, Abdul Hadi asked the parties concerned to punish themselves if anyone leaves their party.

“So, don't punish PAS when there are people who jump out to leave PAS or join PAS to the the extent that some had hopped out and rejoined PAS a few times.

“Punish yourself as PAS only reaps the benefit from the politics of party-hopping.

“Only those who jump with insincere intentions with PAS will break their legs.

"However, loyal PAS members will not be discouraged," he said.

According to Abdul Hadi, since its inception, PAS has indeed been "the most experienced" in dealing with the party-hopping behaviour.

He explained that PAS always opens its doors and accepts all parties who want to come in and out of it, even becoming a temporary transit for party leaders who have been sacked from their respective parties.

This, he said, included Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (1969), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (1990) and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (1998) -- all three from UMNO.

PAS also, Abdul Hadi added, has worked with various parties, including the Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) led by its president Burhanuddin al-Helmy; Parti Negara led by Onn Jaafar; and Semangat 46 led by Tengku Razaleigh.

Some of the parties have disbanded after its members jumped out of the party, and in that case, said Abdul Hadi, it was not the fault of PAS.

PAS also collaborated with parties such as PKR and DAP, which later collaborated with PAS' own splinter party, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) to face the 14th General Election (GE14).

"Now they are quarrelling with each other over their members, and again that is not PAS' fault," he said.

Abdul Hadi also described those who left PAS as failing in their training process.

He also described their action of leaving the party as "curing the disease" in PAS, which is the attitude of impatience and wanting victory in a hurry.

“So, PAS does not make party-hopping action as something that can hinder its journey. This is because those who jumped out failed to have integrity while the newcomers were able to adjust to PAS.

"However, those who failed their training process after that, let them jump out again until they break their legs.

"PAS will remain safe, as long as Islam becomes its body and soul," he added.

After GE14, some UMNO MPs left the party and joined Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) which was then in a coalition known as Pakatan Harapan.

After 22 months, 10 PKR MPs led by its former deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali jumped the party and joined Bersatu.

Bersatu then left Pakatan Harapan and together with UMNO and PAS and several other parties formed the Perikatan Nasional government.

Recently, three more PKR MPs quit the party and expressed their support for Perikatan Nasional