Holding PAS to its Islamic line

Some 1,000 PAS delegates at the special seminar to strengthen the party and affirm its place in the Pakatan Rakyat concluded that the party must stick to its Islamic line even at the expense of the federal opposition pact.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

It used to be easy to differentiate between PAS and Umno but the Islamist party seminar yesterday showed its members are now concerned over a blurring of lines and its future direction in the Pakatan Rakyat.

Some 1,000 PAS delegates at the special seminar to strengthen the party and affirm its place in the Pakatan Rakyat concluded that the party must stick to its Islamic line even at the expense of the federal opposition pact.

But they were uninamously adamant to also keep clear of political rivals Umno.  “We want PAS to replace Umno, not unite with them,” party vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said succinctly.

That was the last nail in the coffin of unity talks with Umno, which has persistently used that point to drive a wedge among PAS leaders.

Party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had once talked up the idea but yesterday conceded PAS’s future lies with Pakatan Rakyat due to the political reality of wooing both Muslim and non-Muslim voters.

He also showed that he could take and dish out criticisms, referring to UIA law professor Dr Abdul Aziz Bari who had castigated the party leadership from straying from its principles to hold unity talks with Umno.

Although a handful were hurt by Abdul Aziz’s criticism of the leadership, most took it in their stride unlike the stage-managed support shown in Umno conventions.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/