Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is still alive as far as PAS is concerned, even if it only comprises the Islamic party and PKR, its deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said. He said PAS would strengthen the coalition by "restructuring" strengths together with PKR, as well as several other parties in the peninsular and the Bornean states of Sarawak and Sabah. Tuan Ibrahim said in a statement last night that PAS had just met with PKR last week, and both parties agreed to strengthen their cooperation through discussion at state and federal levels. "PR without DAP is a political platform, it is still strong and remains until now. This is proven through the support and political collaboration we have in Selangor and Kelantan. PAS and DAP broke ties earlier this year over disagreements that included the Islamist party's ambition to implement hudud or the Islamic penal code, in Kelantan. DAP had also accused PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang for making unilateral decisions and overriding the consensus of some matters agreed to by the PR leadership. PAS ended ties with DAP during its general assembly in June, leading DAP to declare the PR coalition dead. "PAS's decision to end ties with DAP is a huge shift among Malay voters when the 'baggage' PAS had been carrying, of being accused as a DAP tool, was removed," Tuan Ibrahim said. The end of PR also led to the birth of the new opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan that was recently formed by PKR, DAP and new party Parti Amanah Rakyat (Amanah), which is helmed by former PAS progressive leaders who were ousted from PAS in party elections this year. PAS had been internally split between a faction that wanted the party to chart its own path as an opposition party and another group that wanted continued collaboration with PR. PAS has refused to join the new pact, vowing never to work again with DAP and calling Amanah leaders "traitors" for having left PAS. It now has 14 MPs in Dewan Rakyat. – October 25, 2015.]]>
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