PAS Youth set to go conservative
A more conservative trend is about to begin in the Youth wing of PAS because the new Youth chief is an ulama with a ‘jubah and janggut’ image and his deputy is also an ulama and goat farmer of some commercial success.
By Joceline Tan, The Star
WHEN outgoing PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayob makes way for his successor Nasarudin Hassan, he may be doing more than just moving on from the wing.
The well-groomed and clean-cut Salahuddin may also be taking with him the moderate image he had built up over his three terms at the helm and his “politics of engagement” style.
His successor, an ulama trained at Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, is a complete contrast.
Nasarudin, as far as most people can remember, has always been partial to the jubah and has, of late, taken to wearing a serban tebal (bulky turban).
Physical appearances are not everything but in Nasarudin’s case, his “jubah and janggut” (long robe and beard) image does reflect a conservative way of thinking.
In that sense, the departure of Salahuddin may also spell a shift in the approach of this key wing to politics and issues.
In fact, some see the new Youth leadership as part of the conservative mood sweeping through the party.
The wing’s politics is likely to take a different tack from here because it is quite hard to envisage Nasarudin, who speaks Arabic and Malay but little English, continuing the politics of engagement which was second nature to Salahuddin.
Nasarudin and his supporters are also seen as belonging to the radical faction in the wing who had made a name for themselves by protesting against live concerts or anything to do with singing and dancing because they regard it as yellow culture.
Last year, the Selangor PAS Youth made such a fuss about a pop concert in conjunction with the Sultan of Selangor Cup tournament that the sovereign threatened to cancel the football event the following year.
The Pahang-based Nasarudin, who was deputy to Salahuddin in the last two years, had won the No. 1 post uncontested.
His new Youth deputy chief Azman Shapawi Abdul Rahman also comes from an ulama tradition but is a goat farmer of some commercial success in Terengganu.
His new vice-chief Ahmad Sabki Yusof is a lawyer and son-in-law of the late and much-loved PAS president Datuk Fadzil Mohd Noor.
Ahmad Sabki is being looked up to as the moderating factor in the Youth leadership because he is more in tune with real world issues.
The good thing is that the three men work well together and had actually settled the Youth leadership issue among themselves, thus avoiding a contest.
Nasarudin had apparently been reluctant to go for the No. 1 post but both Azman and Ahmad Sabki had assured him that they would provide back-up for him in his new role.
“My advice to them was to look to our late president Ustaz Fadzil (Datuk Fadzil Mohd Noor) as a role model. He was a Muslim intellectual yet he mingled easily with people from all walks of life,” said Salahuddin.
During Salahuddin’s time, Nasaru-din had taken a backstage role, concentrating on tarbiyyah or party education work.
“He will now have to step out of his comfort zone to interact with groups outside of PAS. He should be given the chance to prove himself,” said central committee member Khalid Samad.
Nasarudin is also said to be aligned to the ulama group that is backing Nasharudin Mat Isa for the deputy president’s post. However, it is said that although he supports his namesake, he does not necessarily agree with Nasharudin’s agenda of cooperation with Umno.
At last year’s muktamar, the Youth delegates launched fiery attacks against DAP leaders and also PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s bid to become the next Prime Minister. They felt that the Prime Minister’s post should go to their own man Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
They were also very critical of the DAP and PKR-dominated administrations in Selangor, Penang and Perak where they felt that PAS’ Islamic agenda had been compromised.
The question now is whether the new man at the wheel will play on the inner fears of PAS and drive these issues to another level or be politically savvy in facing real issues.
The direction he takes may take the wing forward or backwards.
