PAS men slam unrepentant Abdul Aziz
By Debra Chong KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 – PAS delegates slammed Dr Abdul Aziz Bari (pic) for criticising the party leadership but the UIA law professor remained unrepentant, arguing that his criticism was constructive.
Abdul Aziz courted controversy last month with an article published in Sinar Harian and stirred it further today when he asked why PAS members wanted to be close to Umno.
He had criticised the PAS leadership, which he saw aligned to president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, for allegedly pushing a merger with Umno.
The academic’s views formed the basis for PAS spiritual adviser, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, to pursue an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in an attempt to cleanse the party of “problematic” leaders, but which was replaced with today’s seminar.
Delegates present from all over the country loudly denounced Abdul Aziz as an “Umno agent” for publicly raising the issue of a “unity government” once again.
They repeatedly pressed the constitutional expert to reveal his sources for the allegations, noting that Abdul Hadi had this morning stressed that PAS is committed to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) struggle to depose the ruling coalition and had shut the door on any more “unity” talks.
“Where did you get information to say that the president does not get along with Lim Kit Siang and Anwar Ibrahim?” a woman delegate asked, referring to the DAP and PKR leaders respectively.
The three opposition parties had joined forces after gaining major inroads among voters in the March 8 elections last year and had recently handed in their application to the Registrar of Societies to formalise their coalition.
Another delegate went further and called Abdul Aziz an “agent of the West” for forcing the concept of a two-party system on them.
The man, who did not identify himself, also likened the IIU don to an “agen nafsu”, which translates to a man with his own ulterior motives, for stirring up discord within PAS.
He received loud support from the floor, with cries of “Takbir!” and “Allahuakbar!”
Abdul Aziz took the verbal attacks in stride and explained that his criticism should be read constructively.
He added that he was only trying to stir the party’s imagination towards strengthening itself ahead of the next general election.
“Think for yourselves,” he advised.
“I did not insult the president or even mention his personal life. I only mentioned his post as the captain of this team,” he countered.
Likening the current political situation to a football match, Abdul Aziz claimed that he had the right as a “paying spectator” to comment.
Not all delegates found his views repugnant, judging from the way they leapt to his defence.
A woman delegate commended him for his willingness to share his bold views openly. She suggested that the leaders should note down his ideas because views from the grassroots which were conveyed through the proper party channels did not always gain traction.
Another delegate asked the rest of his partymen to keep an open mind and not take Abdul Aziz’s comments to heart.
“We must change. Medicine is usually bitter while food which taste sweet are the causes of sickness,” the young man said.
But many others remained unconvinced.
Two delegates from the Federal Territory slammed Abdul Aziz for failing to back up his allegations, unlike his fellow panellist, Universiti Malaya (UM) analyst, Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah.
Abu Hassan had presented a detailed report predicting the future outcome of PAS based on a study carried out among 2,000 people.
“The more important thing now is to strengthen the party. Abu Hassan’s research will be good for our party,” said one man from the Kepong division.
The UM don’s survey results, backed by hard statistics, found greater favour among the delegates even though he shared the same ideas with Abdul Aziz.
Abu Hassan said that PAS must carry out serious reforms now if it wants to win the next general election.
source : themalaysianinsider
Who holds the PAS strings?
By Debra ChongKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 – Who is the boss in PAS? The question – brought out in the open by a Negri Sembilan representative, Mohd Khairil Anuar Wafa – underscores the entire Islamist party’s special seminar here today.
The gathering was intended to strengthen the party’s ranks and dispel persisting views of a irrevocable split between party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and its spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
“Who is the real authority in the part? The president? Or the Mursyidul Am?” Mohd Khairil asked.
He said the grassroots were confused over whose orders they should follow.
“We don’t want two captains in one ship,” he added, and warned that if the issue was not made plain and clear to the members and the masses, it would spell the end of the party. “This will cause the ship to sink,” he said.
Mohd Khairil also noted a need for the central leadership to be clear in stating the party’s policies and direction because the party seemed to be “moving without a destination.”
He slammed them for being slow to nip disputes in the bud, such as when they were still at party-level, which allowed the issues to grow out of hand and become a national problem and cited the growing disagreements among Pakatan Rakyat (PR) components in Selangor as an example.
Mohd Khairil explained that he was fully supportive of the party’s expressed desire to remain a part of PR, but the coalition must be clear about the common objectives and what each party can and cannot do.
He was frustrated at the seeming limits placed on PAS to talk about the rights of Muslims and Malays even though they constituted the majority community in Malaysia.
He pointed out that the core issues were still ambiguous, especially on Islamic issues, which frequently sowed confusion among partner parties and the public.
“What’s the stand now on setting up an Islamic state?” he asked.
“The Islamic policy must be explained in detail so supporters can get the benefit of understanding the Islamic movement,” Mohd Khairil said.
The delegates before Mohd Khairil had expressed their concern over the public perception that PAS is less committed to making the fledgling alliance a viable alternative to the ruling front than its other Pakatan partners, DAP and PKR.
source : themalaysianinsider
Shah Alam MP says ulamas not above criticism
Khalid raising a question at this morning’s seminar. — Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad praised today’s PAS seminar as a key milestone in the party’s history.
He said the seminar shows the party was willing to accept criticism and handle them positively.
Khalid stressed that if PAS wants to become a “mainstream” party then the leadership must be willing to accept criticism.
“If you want to become the Prime Minister or whatever minister you must be willing to face the criticism, you can’t say that he is an ulama so you can’t criticise. Part of the thing is that we want to educate our members,” he told reporters outside the seminar hall in Taman Melewar here.
Khalid hopes the seminar will educate party members that nobody is immune from criticism.
“As I said it is something new so you must expect there to be a mixed reaction. We are not used to having our ulama criticised but we are saying even the Prophet was criticised so it is the education that we have to undergo,” he said.
The seminar today was to discuss PAS's future direction but could well throw up the need for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to decide the fundamental issue of whether to co-operate with Umno to advance Islam and Malay unity or stay with PR and hope to capture federal power in the forthcoming general election.
The seminar is unlikely to resolve the fundamental difference over the issues and which course to take to safeguard the future of PAS — how best to capitalise on the new forces at work in the political system to stay ahead.
PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat wanted a special muktamar to rid the party of leaders whom he described as “problematic” and seen to favour working closely with Umno instead of strengthening PR.
He had named Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Hasan Ali along with Nasharuddin and secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Alias those who had made the party look inconsistent.
However, PAS central committee members recently unanimously decided not to call for a special muktamar but to hold today's seminar instead.
source : themalaysianinsider
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