Perlis political crisis stems from Pas’ own internal failure, not external pressure – Mahfuz

ALOR SETAR – The political crisis that hits Perlis did not stem from external pressure as claimed by Pas President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, but instead originated from the party’s own internal failure to manage leadership conflicts.

Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said that Hadi’s statement linking pressure related to projects and positions as the cause of the turmoil in the Perlis state government was merely an attempt to divert attention from the party’s real weaknesses.

He said the crisis in Perlis did not begin with external pressure, but arose from dissatisfaction among Pas members in Perlis themselves towards the leadership of the then Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli.

“This dissatisfaction had been openly expressed since the end of 2023 and peaked during the debates at the 2024 Pas Central Muktamar.

“Signals rejecting Shukri’s leadership were also evident when his team lost in all Pas divisional leadership elections in 2025,” he said on Tuesday.

Mahfuz claimed that the Pas central leadership was more inclined to defend certain individuals rather than resolve conflicts in a mature manner, which eventually opened the door to a crisis of support and the dismissal of its own Members of the State Legislative Assembly.

He also questioned the logic of Hadi’s statement alleging the existence of pressure related to projects and positions, while at the same time allowing the Menteri Besar to resign without any effort to defend him.

“When conflict is allowed to drag on without wise political resolution, it ultimately leads to the collapse of a Pas-led state government.

“This is not a matter of oppression by external parties but a failure of the party’s internal management.

“It should have been the responsibility of the Pas President and central leadership to defend the Menteri Besar and the state government from any external pressure by strengthening internal party cooperation and closing off room for political manipulation,” he said.

He added that vague statements without supporting evidence would only invite speculation and confuse the public.

He said any allegations related to pressure or misconduct should be channelled through legal avenues, rather than being used as political narratives to conceal one’s own weaknesses.

“Pas cannot continue to blame external factors to hide the fact that the crisis in Perlis is the result of internal conflict that was not handled prudently by the party’s top leadership.

“The people of Perlis deserve honest explanations and responsible leadership, not shifting excuses made to protect the political image of certain parties,” he said.

Previously, Perlis State Legislative Assembly Speaker Rus’sele Eizan announced that three state seats had become vacant after Pas terminated the membership of three assemblymen who withdrew their support for Shukri.

The affected assemblymen were Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji).

Rus’sele said that despite the Perlis State Legislative Assembly having completed three years of its term on Dec 18, the state government deemed it necessary to hold by-elections to fill the vacancies to ensure political stability.

Following the developments, the Perlis State Legislative Assembly now comprises 12 seats, with Pas holding six, Bersatu five and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) one, compared with 14 seats previously secured by Perikatan Nasional in the 15th General Election.