KUALA LUMPUR: PAS central committee members and the Shura Council have unanimously agreed that the party will remain in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

The decision was reached yesterday at a retreat involving senior party leaders from the central committee and Shura Council.

“An official statement will be issued as soon as possible,” a senior PAS leader told The Malaysian Insider.

The retreat comes at a time when the party is rife with squabbles and differences of opinion between the leadership and members, especially following the Selangor menteri besar saga which saw Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim step down in favour of Mohamed Azmin Ali.

Almost every senior party leader was present at the retreat, including party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who presented the main paper on the implementation of Islamic law in a democratic country, which has long been a bone of contention between PAS and DAP.

After Hadi, PAS vice-president Salahudin Ayub presented a paper on the party’s relationship with Pakatan.

“The retreat was good and productive as all the differences in opinion were brought out in the open,” a central committee member told The Malaysian Insider.

But, whether or not the issues can be resolved depends on whether those who attended the retreat pass the message effectively to the grassroots.

PAS research centre director Datuk Dzulkefly Ahmad said the retreat gave the party an opportunity to listen to the public’s hopes and dreams.

“There is a vision of Pakatan Rakyat as the alternative government and the coalition partners resolving its differences. We must again reaffirm our commitment to continue the struggle with Pakatan Rakyat.” — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 10, 2014.