KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Bernama) — The PAS leadership’s willingness to accept DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang as deputy prime minister, as proposed by PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, is merely for political expediency, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Defence Minister, said if PAS was prepared to accept its Spiritual Leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s latest statement, then the self-professed Islamist party should state that its willingness to accept a non-Muslim as their leader, was a party policy.
“We wish to see the reaction of the Malay community at large and whether Anwar’s idea (on Lim as DPM) is acceptable or not to PAS,” he said after closing a National Language Month event at the Defence Ministry-level, here, Thursday.
“I think this (Nik Aziz’s statement) is just a tactic to fish for votes from DAP supporters,” he said.
Nik Aziz was reported to have said that he had no problems if Lim were to be appointed deputy prime minister if the opposition wins the next general election.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said the ministry had not received any request for assistance from the owner of the Malaysian-registered ship MV Albedo, which was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean last week.
He said they had also not received any request for help from foreign embassies to rescue their nationals on board the cargo vessel, while the Malaysian government had no plans yet to form a negotiating team in rescuing the crew.
The pirate attack on the ship was reported by the European Union to have taken place 1,600km away from Mogadishu, Somalia last Friday.
The ship, with a crew of 23 comprising Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Iran nationals, was on its way from Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates to Mombasa, Kenya.
Ahmad Zahid said the ship had also never notified the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) which provided security escort for Malaysian ships in the Gulf of Aden so that a convoy could be pre-arranged.
Following increasing number of Malaysian-registered ships being hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation and RMN had established a strategic partnership to ensure the safety of Malaysian ships plying the Gulf of Aden.
— BERNAMA
