PAS vice-president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has urged Pakatan Rakyat partners to stop harping on differences and work on similarities.

He said in political alliances there are bound to be differences and what’s needed is give and take, and mutual respect.
 
Tuan Ibrahim said amplifying differences would lead the coalition to face destruction.
 
“On the other hand if we focus on similarities, then differences would be less significant and there’ll be greater consensus going forward,” he said in a statement today.
 
“This attitude should be maintained if Pakatan is to remain. Has not Pakatan agreed that the similarities between the three parties are more than the differences?

“Why should we quarrel on the differences and disregard the points that brought us together?” the PAS vice-president queried.

He was responding on the ongoing tension between PAS and DAP, which started from the issue of PAS insisting on the implementation of hudud in Kelantan, even though DAP did not agree to it.

It was further heightened when PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (left) disagreed on local government elections, advocated by DAP, arguing that they might lead to another May 13.
 
Tuan Ibrahim warned Malaysians are bored by the hostile exchanges between Pakatan partners.
 
Any differences, he said should be brought to the negotiating table and that the struggle of each party should be respected.
 
However he further argued that that if the differences were considered too big and there cannot be mutual consensus and respect, possibly it would be time to rethink the coalition, as no party will achieve success by going alone.
 
“People have high hopes for this opposition alliance. Hence, Pakatan should look forward and see the problems facing the country and the need for the people to see a big change in the political leadership in the country.”
 
He emphasised that issues like budget deficits, the rising cost of living, internal security and the abuse of power by BN leaders, require immediate attention and that Pakatan component parties can renew the people’s faith in it by working together to tackle them.
 
Mujahid: Return to main issues
 
Meanwhile PAS central committee member and Parit Buntar MP, Mujahid Yusuf Rawa said Malaysians are matured, and are keenly observing the politicians including on the issue of the local government elections and hudud.
 
He said there are assertions that hudud is not in the national agenda of Pakatan, and PAS is also saying the same about local government elections.
 
This, Mujahid (right) said, had resulted in salvos fired at each other and is escalating into a huge quarrel.
 
“This quarrel has affected the bigger agenda in the manifesto on how to build on the confidence the people have in Pakatan, as shown in the huge trust they placed on us shown at the last general elections.

“Let us return to the main issues and work towards strengthening the democratic process.

"Be it hudud or local government elections, such issues, as long as they do not go against the laws of this country, require public consultation as a reference point,” he said.
 
Mujahid further warned that BN would like to see the Pakatan component parties quarrel with each other, so as to divert them from the real issues.