The top leadership of PAS is becoming more inclined towards working with Umno, claimed a veteran leader, raising concerns that the Islamist party is inching closer towards leaving its partners in Pakatan Rakyat.
Former vice-president Ahmad Awang said there was a strong perception among the grassroots of this trend despite repeated assurances from party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang that PAS was committed to PR.
Ahmad’s claims come amid heated internal debate and infighting in country’s largest opposition party, which is poised to hold its party elections in June.
In previous reports, PAS leaders have admitted that the elections would see a final showdown between pro-PR and Umno-friendly factions for control of the party.
The winning faction will determine the party’s direction from this year until the next general election, including whether they will still be in PR.
There is also strong external pressure for PAS and Umno to unite, the latest being from former chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad, who wrote a piece in Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia yesterday in which he urged both parties to set aside their differences and “focus their efforts into saving the Malays and the position of Islam".
Ahmad said the perception among party members was based on the behaviour and attitude of PAS leaders, including Hadi himself, who recently made headlines by playing the race card to justify opposing local government elections.
“All this Malay this and Malay that, it is very Umno. Our principle has always been to emphasise on Islam. And we had a slogan called ‘Islam for all’. So why are we going back to talking about race?” said Ahmad in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
Another sign of this trend was seen in how its former deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa was able to continue to promote the idea of a unity government between PAS and the ruling party without censure from the party’s leadership, he said.
The death of PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat could strengthen this trend given how Nik Aziz was fervently opposed to PAS working together with Umno, added Ahmad.
“The leadership, including the syura must deal with this perception, which is strong among PAS members,” said Ahmad, referring to the powerful council of elder Muslim scholars who steer the party’s direction.
“They must come out with a statement that they are either opposed or acknowledge this.
“If the syura can these days come out with statements all the time, why not come out with a statement on this critical issue?” said Ahmad, who is also a former syura council member.
PR architect
Former PAS vice-president Ahmad Awang says the party is poised to abandon its Pakatan Rakyat partners and work with Umno.
Ahmad, 79, was a former party information chief and Perak PAS commissioner.
He was instrumental in bridging the ideological gulf between PAS, PKR and DAP in Perak after the 12th general election in 2008 to form the Perak Pakatan Rakyat government.
During the election, DAP was not part of the Barisan Alternatif coalition which included PAS and PKR.
As Perak PAS commissioner then, Ahmad could have accepted Perak Umno’s overtures and gotten the party’s assemblymen to support Umno and form a government with them.
Instead, he chose to work with DAP, a party which he knew opposed PAS’S struggle to implement hudud or the Shariah criminal code.
Until today, he said it was the right decision despite the strained ties of late between PAS and DAP over Kelantan’s intentions to implement hudud law.
For him, the DAP is a more trustworthy partner than Umno. He believes that given time, both parties could work out their differences over hudud.
“Umno does not believe in hudud. They are just trying to dupe us into thinking that they are,” said Ahmad of Umno’s offer to back a bill in Parliament last year which would have allowed Kelantan to enforce hudud.
The bill, which was staunchly opposed by DAP and non-Muslim BN component parties, was supposed to have been brought by a PAS MP from Kelantan.
In the end, PAS abandoned its plans but it may be brought back this year.
Ahmad said only one Umno minister, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, had come out to say that Umno would support the bill.
“Jamil Khir’s support was not backed up by the prime minister. So if we had tabled the bill, there was no guarantee we would get it through Parliament.
“Then Umno would say that they supported the bill but Parliament defeated it,” said Ahmad.
But the consequences were that Umno would have been successful in persuading some PAS members that it was a better partner than DAP and strengthened the unity government sentiment in PAS.
Umno, Ahmad said, was only interested in being nice to PAS because it was weak. He drew parallels between Umno’s gestures now and in 1969, when it brought PAS into Perikatan (Alliance Party), the precursor to BN.
Ahmad was active in PAS then and even joined the government and became an officer in Pusat Islam (Centre for Islam).
“But when Umno saw PAS’s influence increasing in the villages and in Felda schemes, they felt threatened by us. So they kicked us out.”
PAS was eventually booted out in 1977. Ahmad was transferred from Pusat Islam to the education department.
“I was effectively put in cold storage,” said Ahmad.
Special treatment?
When he was vice-president, Ahmad said he was one of the few ulama (religious scholars) who would consistently speak up against any attempts to cooperate with Umno.
The perception that the leadership was open to the idea of working with Umno, Ahmad said was also fuelled by the party’s reluctance to act against Nasharudin.
Ahmad asked why disciplinary action has not been taken against Nasharudin even though he was now known to have close relations with Umno leaders, such as president Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
During his time as deputy president, Nasharudin had consistently advocated for the party to work with Umno.
Nasharudin was defeated in the 2011 PAS elections by Mohamad Sabu, a long-time party activist known for his strong ties with PR and like Ahmad, his hostility towards Umno.
After Nasharudin was no longer active in PAS, photographs began surfacing of him and Najib together at religious functions. He, however, remains a PAS member.
Though he may be missing from PAS functions, Ahmad said Nasharudin still wielded some influence among the senior leadership. In comparison, another Umno-friendly leader Datuk Hassan Ali was sacked from the party in 2012.
“So why has no action been taken against Nasharudin?”
Ultimately, Ahmad said Nasharudin’s case reflected a big undercurrent in PAS and a sign that there could be a tectonic shift in store for the party in the next few years. - TMI
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