PAS not joining Bersih 5

PAS has decided not to join the Bersih 5 rally on Nov 19.

Party secretary-general, Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said, although PAS had initially supported the original call of Bersih – for free and fair elections – the demands of Bersih 5 now did not seem to gel with the party’s approach.

“We have our own methods of being an effective Opposition which are in line with the culture of peaceful and mature politics that we are practicing now,” he told news portal Sinar Online.

He said PAS has yet to decide if it would allow its party members to join the rally as individuals.

At the same time, he refuted claims of some quarters who said that PAS was seen to be on Barisan Nasional’s side if the party didn’t join Bersih 5.

“It’s not necessarily so. Just because we don’t support one side, it doesn’t mean we support the other. In the case of the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections, we went up against BN,” he added.