Pakatan Rakyat has come to its death, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general, announced today .
"The DAP central executive committee (last night) accepts the PAS muktamar's motion to sever ties with DAP and effectively, that Pakatan ceases to exist.
"As Pakatan was formed by the three parties based on consensus and bound by the common policy framework, the PAS muktamar's motion effectively killed off Pakatan.
"Pakatan therefore ceases to exist," Lim added in a media statement.
He said DAP would work with PKR and other forces that aspire to see the end of Umno and BN's one-party rule to reshape and realign Malaysian politics with the aim of winning Putrajaya for the people.
"DAP will work towards a broad-based and principled new coalition that shall emerge to fill the political vacuum that can rekindle hopes of change to realise our Malaysian dream for a better future for all," he added.
As for the Selangor state government, Lim said DAP would support the leadership of Selangor Menteri Besar Mohd Azmin Ali ( photo ) to re-frame the state government with a new functioning coalition.
This, he added, must be based on the common policy and the Selangor GE 2013 election manifesto that received an overwhelming mandate of more than 60 percent of the popular vote.
Hadi caused Pakatan paralysis
Delving into history, Lim said Pakatan was formed on April 1, 2008 as a joint response by DAP, PKR and PAS to the deep yearning for political change by Malaysian voters following the political tsunami of the 12th general election in 2008.
"With the massive support from Malaysians, the opposition won more than one-third of the parliamentary seats and five state governments.
"The leaders of DAP, PKR and PAS agreed to form Pakatan, with a set of shared principles in the hope of uniting all anti-Umno/BN forces to bring forth a new era of politics and governance of integrity, accountability and democracy in a progressive Malaysia.
"It was agreed then that decision-making in Pakatan would be based on consensus and mutual trust at the leadership council.
"The coalition was not meant to be a coalition of convenience but one that is guided by ideas, principles and ideals for a new Malaysia," he added.
However, Lim said in several major incidents over the past year, including the Selangor menteri besar crisis, decisions agreed upon by the leadership council were violated by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang ( photo ).
This, he added, resulted in near-paralysis of the coalition.
He said the situation was exacerbated by Hadi’s willingness to forge a unity government with Umno and his support for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, despite the 1MDB imbroglio.
"The breach of promise made personally by Hadi at the leadership council on Feb 10 to discuss hudud proposed by PAS first with Pakatan partners before being tabled to the Kelantan state assembly or a private motion by Hadi in Parliament further immobilised the entire leadership council.
"This breach of promise by Hadi was followed by the momentous decision on June 6, when the PAS muktamar, the general assembly and the highest authority of the party, accepted without debate a motion to sever ties with DAP," Lim added.
