Listing several examples of the party’s bad experience with BN, including detention under the Internal Security Act, he said there was no possibility of PAS forming an alliance with Umno.
“PAS has been cheated by Umno enough times. Our members died in the Memali tragedy. So, we are very careful when dealing with Umno,” he said at a press conference after PAS held a rally, Ledakan Suara Rakyat, in Taman Medan here today.
The Memali tragedy took place on 19 Nov 1985, during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s years as premier. Police shot dead 14 people while trying to capture renowned religious scholar Ibrahim Mahmud (Ibrahim Libya) in a siege on his camp in Memali, Kedah.
The 14 dead included Ibrahim and four policemen.
Yesterday, while speaking at Pakatan Harapan’s convention, Mahathir had claimed that PAS was secretly supporting Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Mahathir alleged that the party’s support of Najib was the real reason that PAS refused to join Pakatan in an common front against BN.
Iskandar said today: “We have to be more careful with Umno than with all other parties. DAP and the others were not really affected by Umno’s cruelty. PAS had it worst. No one else had it like we did.
“So allegations that PAS are now working with Umno is ridiculous.”
More than 1,000 people attended the Lasak gathering today, to express their views about the federal and Selangor budgets for 2017.
Iskandar said speeches made throughout this morning clearly showed the difference between PAS and BN.
“Our grassroot members raised all sorts of issues including the ones affecting Uber and Grab (ride-hailing services), as well as the Goods and Services Tax, which are all BN policies,” he added.