Will PAS go solo and leave Pakatan?
It is no secret that sections of PAS members remain disenchanted that the party they joined to make Islam a way of life has been sidetracked. They have openly asked the party to review its co-operation with DAP and PKR many times.
Zubaidah Abu Bakar, The Rakyat Pos
NEVER mind if the leaked screenshot of the WhatsApp conversations among the elites in PAS were mere chit chats and not the official stance of the Islamist party.
Who leaked the closed group chat also does not matter right now.
The issue of concern for most Opposition leaders, those in PAS included, is that a group of senior leaders who are members of the PAS’ decision making body — the central working committee — had been in serious discussion over a possible PAS defection from the fragile partnership of Pakatan Rakyat.
More serious in the eyes of PAS’ comrades than the issue of leaving was the racist tone during the discussion that involved an uncertain number of party leaders.
PAS leaders had mulled the possibility of leaving the Opposition coalition to join forces with Umno and form the Selangor state government with a simple majority, retaining Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as Menteri Besar.
One of the messages said that if DAP, the church and non-Muslims harped on religious raids or the Allah issue, they could get back at them. It also said by year-end it could return the Malay-Muslim political power.
These, of course, are not the party’s stand.
The revelation no doubt has somewhat destroyed what PAS has built in the past — to become an inclusive party that is true to its “PAS For All” slogan.
PAS had reinvented itself, taking a new approach to politics through cultivation of an image of moderation in its quest to be a mainstream party that appealed to all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion.
Towards this end, the party had diluted its Islamic State agenda, putting it on the backburner, to narrow the gap with the non-Muslims, promote justice of democracy, human rights and good governance — a bold move that won itself seats in urban areas in elections.
It appears that only one person in the chat group had been caught in the centre of the controversy — the director of operations of the party’s research centre, Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki.
Mohd Zuhdi was the one who put forth a scenario of PAS working together with Umno and Abdul Khalid as Selangor Menteri Besar, a situation that has gone against the decision to replace Abdul Khalid made by the latter’s own party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
The leaked screenshot that went viral and angered the DAP and PKR comrades, with several of them demanding that PAS take action against Mohd Zuhdi, was in fact a small part of the entire two-day conversations over the issue.
As pointed by a member of the Chat group, Nashruddin Hassan, it was not Mohd Zuhdi’s personal view, but a long chat which, when copied using a 12-sized font, went more than 100 pages on A4 paper.
“The chat was over two days, covering 115 pages, but suddenly that small bit with 11 lines was leaked to paint a bad impression of Dr Zuhdi Marzuki,” the Temerloh Member of Parliament said in a statement.
PAS research centre executive director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad had also came to Mohd Zuhdi’s defence, insisting that what had been reported in the media were Mohd Zuhdi’s personal views and did not represent PAS’ stand and the findings of the research centre.
Since the views were communicated informally, Dzulkefly said PAS could not be held responsible for a personal analysis that sparked the controversy.
Even Selangor PAS had distanced itself from the leaked conversation. Its secretary, Mohd Khairuddin Othman, reaffirmed the party’s Selangor chamber’s commitment and loyalty to Pakatan.
Still, all these defence statements came too late. The damage has been done.
Pakatan Rakyat has already entered self-destruct mode over a controversy sparked by the Selangor leadership crisis.
The possibility of Pakatan breaking up because of the Selangor Menteri Besar crisis is real. Even DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has issued a warning.
It is, therefore, not enough for Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to merely deny that Pakatan Rakyat is heading for a split. There must be affirmative action.
All are aware that PKR wants Abdul Khalid out and has picked its president, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, to replace Abdul Khalid. DAP is fine with the proposal, but not PAS.
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the party’s spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was among those who openly wanted Abdul Khalid to remain as Menteri Besar.
The party leadership is due to decide whether to endorse Wan Azizah as the new Menteri Besar on Aug 10.
PAS’ leadership, too, has to handle this leaked discussions involving its leaders cautiously and quickly.
Some leaders also want the matter to be put to rest fast and urged for a meeting to convene as soon as possible and not wait for the Aug 10 meeting to address the problem.
For those following the evolution of PAS since its inception in 1951, the current controversy is a catalyst for the conservatives to steer the party back to its fundamental roots.
PAS may have evolved to become more inclusive to suit present times, but the party is still not free from internal conflicts due to its members being split between the conservatives and the progressives.
It is no secret that sections of its members remain disenchanted that the party they joined to make Islam a way of life has been sidetracked.
They had openly asked the party to review its co-operation with DAP and PKR many times over.
They see PAS as having compromised too much in its quest to enter Putrajaya with its allies.
The leaked conversations nonetheless is yet another issue that leaves Pakatan Rakyat’s unity in doubt.
Will PAS go solo and leave Pakatan over the current issue?
Time will tell.
