PAS prepared to accept Zaid as member – Veep

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KUALA LUMPUR: PAS will always open its door to former members of other political parties, including former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Federal Territory chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, to join the Islamist party.

PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa who said this, revealed that PAS had previously offered Zaid a place in the party but he preferred to be with PKR.

“He (Zaid) is in a position to join any party … we did invite him to join PAS before but he declined, so it’s up to him now to join which party,” Husam told Bernama after he was interviewed by Bernama TV on its ‘Hello Malaysia’ programme at Wisma Bernama yesterday.

Zaid, who is former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, had on Nov 8 made the shocking decision to quit all his party posts and to withdraw from the contest for the deputy president post, citing cheating in the party elections as his reason.

He also called on PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and its vice-president Mohamed Azmin Ali to withdraw from the party, blaming them for the problems in PKR.

On PAS’ defeat by Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Galas state seat by-election on Nov 4, Husam said PAS accepted the result with an open heart, but the party would from now on pay more attention to BN.

“BN seemed very happy with the victory but what is more important is how BN draws up its strategy for the next general election. That is what PAS is more concerned about,” said the Kelantan state executive councillor for Economic Planning, Finance and Welfare.

In the Galas by-election, PAS’ candidate Dr Zulkefli Mohamad lost to BN’s , Abdul Aziz Yusoff by 1,190 votes.

Asked on PAS’ preparations for the next general election, Husam said the party would step up efforts to get more people, especially youths, to register as voters and to strengthen cooperation among the Pakatan Rakyat component parties.

“We have other strategies which we will discuss later, to ensure Pakatan Rakyat does even better in the 13th general election,” he said. — Bernama