KOTA BARU -  Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat has clarified that his invitation to Umno to talk to PAS on matters relating to Islam is not about the two parties forming a government together.

He said his invitation was to meet two objectives; one of which is to understand if Umno is against policies based on Islamic tenets.

The other is to get a clarification from Umno why it it is against the PAS struggle to champion the cause of Islam.

“That is all that I am proposing, nothing else. Umno needs to explain why it rejects our Islamic struggles. Other things can wait,” he said, adding that the people of Kelantan are in favour of his suggestion.

He said it was not only for Kelantan Umno but for the whole of Umno to accept his offer for talks.

No theories, philosophies and such

“What we need to talk about are matters of the faith, not theories, philosophies and such," he said.

Nik Aziz, who is the PAS spiritual advisor, said this to the media  at a high-tea meeting with Facebook fans here Saturday. At the meeting he launched the Cyber Friends for Kelantan Facebook programme.

On criticisms that he had been inconsistent in his views about PAS-Umno talks as he had previously knocked down a suggestion to have discussion on a possoble ‘unity’ government between the two parties, Nik Aziz  asked:

“When was it? Who aborted the meeting?  I wanted to meet them but they did not come forward, so, how....? “ 

He said his current  invitation to Umno is just at the proposal stage at the moment.

“After this, we will follow up via various means, such as through a letter, a Facebook posting...we will know what to do,” he said.

Prepared a long time ago

Nik Aziz claimed his proposal was officially mailed in the form of a letter three months ago but, he added, there has yet to be any feedback on the matter.

Meanwhile, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said PAS had prepared a long time ago for a dialogue with Umno and the Barisan Nasional, not just on issues relating to Islam but also on other matters affecting the people.

“We attended a dialogue at the Malaysian Insitute for Islamic Understandng (Ikim) where many of those present were from Umno.

“We have been practising an ‘open policy’ with all parties including Umno,” he said.

Najib plays it cool

Responding to the latest overture by Nik Aziz, Umno president Najib Abdul Razak said he would wait first for PAS to state a concrete position on the failed unity talks to end the animosity between the two parties.

“I don’t know what their real position is on this; their stand on the matter changes constantly just like the weather,” the Prime Minister told the media in Kuala Lumpur Saturday.

“There were times they agree, then they disagree and later they say the issue is closed.

“So, I want to wait for a concrete decision by PAS on the matter. If they switch tack again then it will be difficult,” Najib said. - Malaysian Mirror