Cracks in Gagasan Sejahtera as Berjasa accuses PAS of offering ‘unwinnable’ seats

TAIPING, May 2 — Gagasan Sejahtera coalition member Barisan Jemaah Islamiyah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) today accused PAS of betraying them by offering only unwinnable seats in GE14.

This appears to confirm rumours of a widening rift between PAS and Berjasa, which was purportedly triggered by seat allocations a few months ago.

Berjasa information chief Mohd Junip Huzaiyin said the party had been sidelined by PAS, and that Berjasa will now contest five seats — with only three under its own banner.

The three seats include the Pahang parliamentary seat of Cameron Highlands, and the Perak state seats of Sungai Manik and Batu Kurau — where they will be facing PAS in four-cornered fights.

But the remaining two seats will ironically see Berjasa members running under PAS tickets in Selayang and Tanjung Piai.

“We never wanted to run for seats contested by PAS, but they took away our chances,” Junip told a press conference held at the home of Batu Kurau candidate Zainal Abidin Abdul Rahman in Kamunting here today.

“How can this be a Gagasan Sejahtera coalition when we have been sidelined like this? What do we get from them?

“PAS has sacrificed their right to be a party based on Islam, because they betrayed another Jemaah,” he said.

Besides PAS and Berjasa, the Gagasan Sejahtera coalition also consists of Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) and Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan).

Junip said Berjasa had initially requested 17 seats in GE14, three more than the number of seats they contested in GE13.

While he did not specify how many seats they were offered, he claimed that PAS only offered them unwinnable Chinese-majority seats in return.

Last week, central committee member Zainal Abidin reportedly said PAS told him to contest the state seat of Aulong, instead of his preferred Batu Kurau seat.

Undeterred, Zainal Abidin decided to contest the Batu Kurau seat for Berjasa against PAS, Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan.

Asked how this fracas would affect Berjasa’s position in the PAS-led coalition, Junip only said: “It is like we have been ousted.”

However, he stopped short of calling for Berjasa members to boycott PAS in GE14.

“We won’t insult or demean anyone else. I will not tell anyone what to do because they can make up their own minds,” Junip said.

“For us, the main point is to reprimand PAS for betraying us in this manner.”