Meeting not put off because of PMs comments: PAS
Ng Boon HooiPublished: Mar 28, 2001 2:04 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
The prime minister's criticism of PAS in Parliament yesterday morning was not the reason for the postponement of the Umno-PAS technical committee meeting later on the same day, said a PAS leader.
Its secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa told malaysiakini today that the meeting was put off because a number of the PAS technical committee members could not attend it.
"It has nothing to do with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement yesterday," he said.
Mahathir told the Dewan Rakyat that without the participation of PAS, it would be perceived that the Islamic party did not agree to the four points identified by Umno as part of the unity talks' agenda.
The four points are those recognised as Malay rights already established in the Constitution - that the Malays as the original people of the Malay states have special rights as Malaysian citizens; that the Malay language is recognised as the national language and Islam as the religion of the federation; and that the Malay Rulers are the constitutional monarchs in the states which form part of Malaysia.
"If PAS appears to be willing to drop the four things and Keadilan denies it is a Malay party, then it will be difficult for Umno alone to defend the rights successfully," Mahathir was reported as saying.
According to The Sun, PAS asked for the postponement of the technical committee meeting in a letter sent via facsimile by Nasharuddin to Umno executive secretary Tengku Adnan Mansor at 1.12pm yesterday, less than two hours before the scheduled meeting.
However, sources close to the Umno technical committee told malaysiakini that they believe PAS called off the meeting at the eleventh hour as a protest against Mahathir's comments.
Meeting still on
Nevertheless, Nasharuddin said the technical committee meeting between the two parties is still on, although the date is yet to be fixed.
This is the first time PAS has called off the meeting. The two parties have met twice - on Feb 8 and Feb 16 - to determine the agenda of the talks.
Last month, PAS called off the Malay unity talks on the eve of Feb 19 and set a number of pre-conditions to be met by Umno before the talks could begin.
They included the return of the oil royalty taken from the state of Terengganu by the federal government, the lifting of newly-imposed restrictions on the circulation of party organ Harakah and the retraction of Umno's proposal to remove the word 'Islam' from the names of political parties.
But the last pre-condition was dropped after the Council of Rulers last Thursday resolved that organisations can continue to use the word 'Islam' in their names so long as it is for the enhancement of the faith.
Its secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa told malaysiakini today that the meeting was put off because a number of the PAS technical committee members could not attend it.
"It has nothing to do with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement yesterday," he said.
Mahathir told the Dewan Rakyat that without the participation of PAS, it would be perceived that the Islamic party did not agree to the four points identified by Umno as part of the unity talks' agenda.
The four points are those recognised as Malay rights already established in the Constitution - that the Malays as the original people of the Malay states have special rights as Malaysian citizens; that the Malay language is recognised as the national language and Islam as the religion of the federation; and that the Malay Rulers are the constitutional monarchs in the states which form part of Malaysia.
"If PAS appears to be willing to drop the four things and Keadilan denies it is a Malay party, then it will be difficult for Umno alone to defend the rights successfully," Mahathir was reported as saying.
According to The Sun, PAS asked for the postponement of the technical committee meeting in a letter sent via facsimile by Nasharuddin to Umno executive secretary Tengku Adnan Mansor at 1.12pm yesterday, less than two hours before the scheduled meeting.
However, sources close to the Umno technical committee told malaysiakini that they believe PAS called off the meeting at the eleventh hour as a protest against Mahathir's comments.
Meeting still on
Nevertheless, Nasharuddin said the technical committee meeting between the two parties is still on, although the date is yet to be fixed.
This is the first time PAS has called off the meeting. The two parties have met twice - on Feb 8 and Feb 16 - to determine the agenda of the talks.
Last month, PAS called off the Malay unity talks on the eve of Feb 19 and set a number of pre-conditions to be met by Umno before the talks could begin.
They included the return of the oil royalty taken from the state of Terengganu by the federal government, the lifting of newly-imposed restrictions on the circulation of party organ Harakah and the retraction of Umno's proposal to remove the word 'Islam' from the names of political parties.
But the last pre-condition was dropped after the Council of Rulers last Thursday resolved that organisations can continue to use the word 'Islam' in their names so long as it is for the enhancement of the faith.
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