INTERVIEW Pakatan Rakyat will emerge victorious if Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak dissolves Parliament and calls for fresh elections, said PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu.
His confidence is based on the outcome of the Permatang Pauh and Rompin by-elections.
"We can take over Putrajaya if Parliament is dissolved. I am confident because in Permatang Pauh, although Pakatan's majority was less than 9,000, it's because of the low voter turnout," he said in an interview with Malaysiakini .
Mohamad Sabu, who is better known as Mat Sabu, noted that imbroglios concerning 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), the goods and services tax (GST) and Tabung Haji's land purchase from 1MDB would also contribute to Pakatan's victory.
"The kampung folk don't really understand 1MDB, (but) they understand GST and they really understand about Tabung Haji.
"If the issue surrounding Tabung Haji came out two days before the Permatang Pauh by-election, I think BN would have suffered more badly," he added.
Mat Sabu on Tuesday had agreed with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang that Najib need not step down as prime minister but should instead dissolve Parliament.
He was asked to respond to Abdul Hadi who had backed Najib not to succumb to demands that he resign.
Najib should not get away scot-free
Meanwhile, asked whether his apparent support for Hadi was due to the upcoming party elections, Mat Sabu explained that he had said so because he did not want Najib to escape scot-free.
"Malaysia is not like South Korea. Here, if you commit wrongdoings and resign, the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will not disturb you.
"So, if he resigns, people will forget about 1MDB, GST, the new private jet, Altantuya (Shaariibuu's murder). So it's better for him to dissolve Parliament and obtain the mandate from the rakyat," he said.
Asked on support for PAS, Mat Sabu said backing for the party from the Muslims continue to grow.
However, he admitted that they have not breached the 50 percent mark.
"Maybe in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah, sometimes the support we get is over 50 percent, but in other states, it’s between 30 to 40 percent," he said.
Admitting that efforts to gain more backing for PAS must continue, Mat Sabu said the party was also serious in gaining more endorsement from non-Muslims.
Asked on the current support for the Islamic party from that segment, he acknowledged that it has reduced after the last general election.
"I am sure it's due to misunderstanding and when individual opinions by PAS leaders are regarded as party decisions.
"Since the next general election is in two years' time, we are confident that we still have time to rectify the situation," he said.
As such, Mat Sabu said after the party elections are concluded, efforts must be made to convince non-Muslims to support PAS, in line with the slogan 'PAS for all'.
"We will continue having dialogues and meetings with DAP and non-Muslim NGOs. I am confident that we will gain more support come the next general election.
"I hope PAS leaders will find ways to do so, as long as it's not against the Islamic creed. We must find ways to strengthen Pakatan.
"This is the only way to change the government in the next general election," he said.
Best time for Pakatan to take over
Pointing out how the BN under Najib is not strong, the PAS leader said now is the time for Pakatan to take over in the next general election.
"That's why efforts must be made to find a consensus. We already have a consensus, but it needs to be strengthened come the general election," he said.
PAS' decreased support is largely due to its hudud ambition.
The party wants to implement hudud in Kelantan and is a step closer to realising its dream after the state assembly unanimously passed amendments to the Syariah Criminal Code II 1993.
This was followed by Hadi tabling a private member's bill in Parliament's recent sitting to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 to enable the implementation of hudud.
Ties between PAS and DAP continue to sour due to the issue.
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