Fish-bone stuck in the throat…
It is like a fishbone stuck in the throat in the past week as I have not the time to get it out.
This is the interview of PAS Secretary-General and MP for Tumpat Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar with the Star last week (Sept. 9, 2005) entitled “Taking PAS into the future”, where he perpetuated the myth that DAP pulled out of Barisan Alternative (BA) in 2001 because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
This is what KJ said:
“Also in September 2001, the DAP was contesting in the Sarawak state election. The pressure of Sept 11 and the pressure the DAP was facing to present its own image in the Sarawak state elections, which is crucial for them, forced the party to decide there and then to withdraw from the BA and that sort of abruptly ended the discussions. If it had not ended that way, we might have come to a better understanding of each other.”
Let me put the record straight and state categorically that the DAP Central Executive Committee’s decision on Sept. 22, 2001 to pull out from the BA had nothing to do with Sept. 11 or the Sarawak state general election in September 2001 but solely because of PAS failure to resolve the Islamic State controversy with DAP.
It was a pure coincidence that the DAP CEC took the decision to cease to be part of BA on September 22, 2001, 11 days after the heinous terrorist crimes against humanity in the United States and four days after the Sarawak state general election nomination.
The DAP stand on the Islamic state issue had always been constant, consistent and principled since its formation in 1966, whether before, during or after the DAP’s participation in BA.
The DAP helped to establish BA with PAS, Parti Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia in 1999 with the sole objective to crush the political hegemony of the Barisan Nasional and end its unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority to advance the objectives as spelt out in the 1999 general election BA common manifesto “Towards A Just Malaysia” which had nothing to do with the PAS objective of an Islamic State.
Immediately after the 1999 general election, DAP had wanted the BA to address the people’s concerns about the Islamic State issue but we found no support from the other BA component parties despite persistent attempts by the DAP in 2000. As a result, DAP decided to engage PAS in direct discussion on the issue in 2001, with meetings between DAP and PAS leaders held on 16th and 23rd June 2001.
On 24th July 2001, the DAP CEC decided that “a final decision on whether DAP should remain in BA should be made after the DAP-PAS leadership meeting scheduled on 30th July 2001”.
At the meeting of 30th July 2001, DAP presented a Five-Point “No Islamic State” formula for BA, which was not fully acceptable to PAS although both parties agreed to a second round of discussion on the Five Points. At the DAP’s urging as the DAP National Congress was being held on August 18, 2001, the DAP-PAS meeting was held on August 6, 2001, which ended in deadlock.
The die was cast unless PAS was prepared to fully agree to the Five Points. The DAP National Congress on 18th August 2001 fully empowered the new CEC to conclude discussions with PAS on the Islamic State issue and to “take all necessary final decisions within the shortest time possible” on the DAP position in the BA.
In keeping with the Congress mandate and directive, the new DAP Central Executive Committee had wanted the final meeting between the DAP and PAS leaders to be held as early as possible, preferably by the end of August or latest by early September, as the issue had already been too drawn-out for several months.
But a DAP-PAS meeting could not be scheduled at the end of August or even early September as most of the key PAS leaders were out of the country at the time and the earliest date available for the PAS leadership for the meeting was Sept. 22, 2001.
If the DAP-PAS meeting had been held at the end of August or early September as intended by DAP, which would have resulted in DAP taking the decision to pull out of the BA because of the failure to resolve the Islamic State controversy in the final meeting, there would no attempt to link it with either Sept. 11 terrorist or the Sarawak state general elections.
The purpose of this blog is to put the record straight. I have finally got the fishbone out of my throat.
This is the interview of PAS Secretary-General and MP for Tumpat Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar with the Star last week (Sept. 9, 2005) entitled “Taking PAS into the future”, where he perpetuated the myth that DAP pulled out of Barisan Alternative (BA) in 2001 because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
This is what KJ said:
“Also in September 2001, the DAP was contesting in the Sarawak state election. The pressure of Sept 11 and the pressure the DAP was facing to present its own image in the Sarawak state elections, which is crucial for them, forced the party to decide there and then to withdraw from the BA and that sort of abruptly ended the discussions. If it had not ended that way, we might have come to a better understanding of each other.”
Let me put the record straight and state categorically that the DAP Central Executive Committee’s decision on Sept. 22, 2001 to pull out from the BA had nothing to do with Sept. 11 or the Sarawak state general election in September 2001 but solely because of PAS failure to resolve the Islamic State controversy with DAP.
It was a pure coincidence that the DAP CEC took the decision to cease to be part of BA on September 22, 2001, 11 days after the heinous terrorist crimes against humanity in the United States and four days after the Sarawak state general election nomination.
The DAP stand on the Islamic state issue had always been constant, consistent and principled since its formation in 1966, whether before, during or after the DAP’s participation in BA.
The DAP helped to establish BA with PAS, Parti Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia in 1999 with the sole objective to crush the political hegemony of the Barisan Nasional and end its unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority to advance the objectives as spelt out in the 1999 general election BA common manifesto “Towards A Just Malaysia” which had nothing to do with the PAS objective of an Islamic State.
Immediately after the 1999 general election, DAP had wanted the BA to address the people’s concerns about the Islamic State issue but we found no support from the other BA component parties despite persistent attempts by the DAP in 2000. As a result, DAP decided to engage PAS in direct discussion on the issue in 2001, with meetings between DAP and PAS leaders held on 16th and 23rd June 2001.
On 24th July 2001, the DAP CEC decided that “a final decision on whether DAP should remain in BA should be made after the DAP-PAS leadership meeting scheduled on 30th July 2001”.
At the meeting of 30th July 2001, DAP presented a Five-Point “No Islamic State” formula for BA, which was not fully acceptable to PAS although both parties agreed to a second round of discussion on the Five Points. At the DAP’s urging as the DAP National Congress was being held on August 18, 2001, the DAP-PAS meeting was held on August 6, 2001, which ended in deadlock.
The die was cast unless PAS was prepared to fully agree to the Five Points. The DAP National Congress on 18th August 2001 fully empowered the new CEC to conclude discussions with PAS on the Islamic State issue and to “take all necessary final decisions within the shortest time possible” on the DAP position in the BA.
In keeping with the Congress mandate and directive, the new DAP Central Executive Committee had wanted the final meeting between the DAP and PAS leaders to be held as early as possible, preferably by the end of August or latest by early September, as the issue had already been too drawn-out for several months.
But a DAP-PAS meeting could not be scheduled at the end of August or even early September as most of the key PAS leaders were out of the country at the time and the earliest date available for the PAS leadership for the meeting was Sept. 22, 2001.
If the DAP-PAS meeting had been held at the end of August or early September as intended by DAP, which would have resulted in DAP taking the decision to pull out of the BA because of the failure to resolve the Islamic State controversy in the final meeting, there would no attempt to link it with either Sept. 11 terrorist or the Sarawak state general elections.
The purpose of this blog is to put the record straight. I have finally got the fishbone out of my throat.
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