Time to move on as there's no Pakatan, says DAP party adviser Lim Kit Siang

The Democratic Action Party's (DAP) made its decision to announce that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance no longer exists because it wanted to recognise the current political reality, said party adviser Lim Kit Siang (above). -- ST FILE PHO
The Democratic Action Party's (DAP) made its decision to announce that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance no longer exists because it wanted to recognise the current political reality, said party adviser Lim Kit Siang (above). -- ST FILE PHOTO

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Democratic Action Party's (DAP) made its decision to announce that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance no longer exists because it wanted to recognise the current political reality, said party adviser Lim Kit Siang.

Stating that it was not an act of defeatism, Mr Lim said there was a need of a new political coalition based on principles, and not sheer power.

DAP chief Lim Guan Eng had earlier on Tuesday announced that his party would no longer work with its former partner, the Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), with whom the DAP has clashed over the latter's calls for strict Islamic law.

He said the decision was made in light of a recent move by PAS at its muktamar, or annual congress, in which the party had cut ties with the DAP over their bitter dispute.

"In view of the PAS muktamar motion for PAS to cut ties with DAP and the violations of the Pakatan Common Policy Framework and consensus operational principle, Malaysians must now move on," said the party adviser.

"There is no time to lose on polemics so as to rekindle the hopes of Malaysians who want political change and assure them that such a possibility is still alive and relevant in the 14th general election," he said at the Parliament lobby on Tuesday.

He said the immediate challenge was to realign the political forces and keep alive the hopes of Malaysians for change based on PR's ideals of national unity, justice, freedom and human dignity.

PR's break-up follows increasing rancour between the secular DAP, which represents mostly ethnic Chinese, and PAS, which represents Malay Muslims - the majority group in the multiracial country. Mr Anwar's diverse Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) party makes up the other member of the alliance.

Mr Lim also said DAP would not wait for its partner to decide on the fate of the coalition as it was now dead.

Mr Lim said this when asked why the party could not wait for the decision of its other ally, PKR.

"Pakatan has ceased to exist because of the decision made in the muktamar. We should not waste any more time on this politics," he said.

In explaining its decision over the party's break-up, the DAP said the alliance had been near-paralysis several times during the past year because PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang violated decisions agreed upon at PR leadership meetings.

The DAP also said it would continue to work with PKR and all other forces who wanted to see the end of the governing Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's rule.

PR was formed in April 2008, in the wake of the 12th general election, hoping to pose a strong challenge to the BN, which has been dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) party since independence in 1957.

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