Pas incapable of delivering

By BERNAMA

25 January, 2008

The experience of the defunct Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (Semangat 46), which collaborated with PAS in the 1990s, shows that PAS is incapable of carrying out its plans for the people, former Semangat 46 president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today. He said that during that period, many things concerning the people’s welfare were not implemented, resulting in the people getting fed up with the empty promises.

Tengku Razaleigh, who is the Gua Musang member of Parliament, said PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent statement promising to make Malaysia a welfare state if it wins the 12th general election, was an unrealistic one.

“It’s all talk. Anyone can talk but they cannot perform,” he told reporters after persenting aid from the Poor Students Trust Fund to 850 pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Jerek, near here.

Parti Melayu Semangat 46 was set up by Tengku Razaleigh and Datuk Dr Rais Yatim (now Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister) in 1988. It collaborated with PAS in the 1990 and 1994 general elections.

Tengku Razaleigh and Dr Rais rejoined Umno after Semangat 46 was dissolved in May 1996.

Tengku Razaleigh said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had discharged its duty to help the less fortunate by giving various aid and contributions.

On the next general election, Tengku Razaleigh, who is also an Umno supreme council member, said he believed the people of Kelantan were ready for a change in government and would give BN the mandate to rule the state.

“The people already know which government can bring change to the people of Kelantan,” he said.

On his candidacy, he said he was leaving it to the party leadership to decide.