The two sides of PAS

Hanipa, seen here at the PAS Muktamar today, is one of the leaders who stood up to the Islamist party’s hardliners as the crisis over the Selangor MB's position escalated. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, September 20, 2014.The men of integrity

Take a bow, Hanipa Maidin, Mohd Sany Abdullah, Wan Kharizal Wan Khazim and their ilk.

These men refused to be cowed into silence or beaten into submission by the boos, walkouts and thuggish behaviour by a segment of delegates at the PAS muktamar this week.

They urged their party men to think carefully before accepting the position of menteri besar of Selangor, pointing out that it would betrayal of trust of their Pakatan Rakyat (PR) allies, not to mention setting in motion the demise of the coalition.

The most erudite of the lot was Hanipa, the party's legal chief and perhaps the one individual who should be an example for Malaysians in this period of bullying and intimidation.

It would have been much easier and rewarding for him to have stuck to the party line offered by Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the hardliners. But no, he did not choose the easy way out.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that he has stood up to the hardliners in meetings as the crisis over the Selangor MB's position escalated.

All the while pointing out that the MB's position in Selangor is PKR's. And, therefore, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim's replacement must come from the party.

Hanipa has also stated on a number of occasions the undisputed fact of Malaysian politics: that the MB must enjoy the majority support of the state assembly.

He is on solid ground here because the Federal Court in the Perak power grab laid down the rule.

At the PAS muktamar, Hanipa was booed roundly by supporters of the so-called ulama class when he made three points about the party accepting the MB's position.

One, the MB's position in Selangor belongs to PKR.

Two, a PAS MB would not enjoy the support of PKR and DAP and would lead a fragile state government.

"If we accept, we cannot run from the accusations that we have broken our promise," he said.

Third, accepting the MB's position would lead to the break-up of PR.

Throughout his speech, he was heckled. But he did not lose his calm, pointing out that he was just stating the facts.

In the final analysis, Hanipa, Sany and the others who urged PAS to act justly and reject the MB's position did not appear to have done enough to prick the conscience of the party's growing band of ambitious zealots.

But what is really admirable is that they tried. They did not go with the flow. They did not succumb the threats and intimidation. They did not choose to stay silent on the sidelines.

They spoke up.

A damn good example for Malaysians.

The men of expediency and convenience

But there is a section in PAS that believe otherwise. That political expediency must win over anything else, even a pledge or vow with your allies.

Some of these men inhabit the powerful Muslim scholars’ wing of PAS, they who lead the Islamist party's spiritual path.

They would want you to believe the notion that without them, PAS would be blind just as without the professionals, the party would limp along.

Their foresight and piety, however, masks something else. It masks their political ambition to rule over Malaysians in the only way they see fit.

That they are the guides to a better and more spiritual path.

That no one else will do, especially if it is a woman.

Today, one of them, PAS Dewan Ulama acting deputy chief Datuk Mahfodz Mohamed said the party should accept whoever the Selangor palace has chosen to avoid angering the state ruler.

"If the menteri besar is from PKR we should accept. If the menteri besar is from PAS we should also accept.

"We already have one enemy, Umno. We should not add another enemy from the palace," he said at the muktamar today.

Expediency. Convenience. All that over political bonds and friendship forged in two elections.

To hell with pacts made and agreements signed. Do anything, even repudiate all that, rather than anger the palace. The people who voted do not matter.

Because the voters are just sheep. And the ulama are the shepherds or guides who decide and cannot be questioned.

The thing is, these scholars have no business dictating their demands to the rest and sundry. PAS is in a partnership with two other parties and all three need to have mutual respect.

Just as it is wrong for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his ilk to decide the “Kajang move” unilaterally without consulting his allies, it is also wrong for PAS scholars to go their own way without taking their allies' interests into consideration.

Malaysians want politicians of character and integrity, not those with just naked lust for power and are willing to do anything to get that power.

- TMI