Stop hyping up talk of PAS joining govt, says Tiong

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: A Cabinet member has urged the public and political parties to stop playing up speculation that the government is inviting PAS to join the federal administration.

Tiong King Sing said an offer extended to PAS by Anwar Ibrahim was made before Anwar formed his unity government last November, after the King had expressed his wish for unity among all parties given the inconclusive results of the general election when no party obtained a parliamentary majority.

Tiong, who is tourism, arts and culture minister, said he brought up the matter at the Cabinet meeting on Friday, after being asked several times about the prospect of PAS joining the government.

He said Anwar then told him that Time Magazine had asked him in an interview a few months ago about the possibility of inviting PAS into the unity government, to which he replied that he had been open to the idea from the beginning.

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