PUTRAJAYA, May 31 — Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has today reiterated that PAS will not be considered to join the federal coalition dubbed unity government, explaining that doing so would disrupt the harmony between the current components.
In a dig, the deputy prime minister compared taking PAS as a coalition partner to a “mut'ah marriage” — a fringe concept practised by some Shiah Muslims as a temporary marriage contract for the sake of sexual pleasure.
“It's not that we don't want to unite, but we don't want to have a 'mut'ah' political marriage,” he told reporters after a townhall session at the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development here.
“[PAS] would be that bride that would result in divorce for all other 19 parties, because they are not sincere and truthful in the marriage. Enough is enough.”
The practice of "mut'ah" marriage and "misyar" — another marriage contract practised by some Sunnis where the couple renounce some marital rights in order to keep an open relationship — are widely panned by mainstream Muslims.
Zahid again said that there were never any offers from the federal coalition for PAS to join the unity government.
"I would like to repeat what Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that no one has been appointed from our side to offer or negotiate with a party to join us.
"If that one party wants to continue their way of deceiving such as giving donations to gain votes, I'd say let them be but the people's needs should never be manipulated for any political gains that will end up dividing races in Malaysia," he said.
It was recently reported that PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man claimed that representatives from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led government approached the party to join the ruling coalition.
The statement came after PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had previously claimed that it has been invited to join the government and leave its partner Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in Perikatan Nasional.
Minister of economy and PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who is among the three involved in PKR negotiations with coalition partners alongside Anwar and Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, had also denied the rumour.
PAS has since claimed it was offered by DAP's Lim Kit Siang, but Lim said his opinion was personal and not representative of the government.
