A big headache for PAS leadership
Zubaidah Abu Bakar, The Rakyat Post
PAS’ consultative council of Islamic scholars has ruled that for as long as Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has not been charged for violating his trust, he should stay as Selangor Menteri Besar.
But if the authorities such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission or the courts find him guilty, the Majlis Syura Ulama is willing to re-assess his position.
In short, the 15-member influential council headed by the revered Tok Guru, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat with the title Mursyidul Am or spiritual leader, wants Khalid to stay on his second term.
The council is the highest decision making body in PAS after the muktamar (party general assembly) and its decision is binding, at least for PAS members who practise the concept of wala (loyalty to the leader).
The council’s decision is in line with the stance of PAS senior religious leaders, including party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, and was not something that is totally unexpected.
The stand is threatening a split within PAS and the break-up of Pakatan Rakyat, the political pact PAS had entered with Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the DAP soon after the 2008 general election.
There was already speculation that the council was trying to influence the party’s central committee (CC) which had yet to meet to thrash issues related to the Selangor Menteri Besar crisis when talk of an impending Majlis Syura meeting began spreading on
Wednesday afternoon.
The outcome of the meeting, nonetheless, has put PAS leaders in a bind and reaffirmed the split in opinions over Khalid’s removal as Menteri Besar and the choice of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the PKR president, as the replacement.
Its understandable that some members of the party’s CC felt that the Majlis Syura had set a pre-condition on the CC. They are uneasy since they would be seen as going against the wishes of the Majlis Syura should the CC decide differently.
Those following the development in PAS regarding the Selangor crisis share the same sentiments since the pre-emptive move came after PKR made public its dossier that allegedly detailed Khalid’s misconduct in administration and state dealings.
And because the council had already had an opinion on the issue, the party headquarters was left without much choice, but to postpone the crucial CC meeting to another date.
Two postponements had been made to the earlier Aug 10 meeting date. The CC was supposed to meet three days later, but this was again postponed to Aug 17 to ensure maximum attendance to discuss and make a decision crucial to both PAS and Pakatan Rakyat.
Both PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Hadi had met Khalid separately over the issue and they had expressed their support for the embattled Menteri Besar to remain in office despite it being against PKR’s decision.
As most people are aware, the ulama class in PAS is known to have been against the Kajang Move that PKR had earlier engineered to oust Khalid.
The ulama are also against PKR’s move to make public Khalid’s alleged misconduct as washing dirty linen in public shamed an individual and this is against the teachings of Islam.
Also labelled as conservatives and traditionalists, those aligned to the ulama faction in PAS are also not in favour of a woman as Menteri Besar. For them, PKR does not lack male state lawmakers to hold that coveted position.
Still, some segments in PAS had begun to question the purpose of the two-and-half hour-long meeting that was chaired by Nik Aziz for 30 minutes and held at the party’s education centre Pusat Tarbiyyah Islamyiah Kelantan (Putik) in Pengkalan Chepa near Kota Baru.
Two key issues had arisen from the Majlis Syura’s meeting though.
One, whether Nik Aziz was indeed involved in the decision making process since he appeared to have distanced himself, having left the meeting earlier.
He also reportedly did not not question the outcome which was briefed to him by the council’s secretary and this was probably due to him respecting the voice of the majority over the decision.
Another key issue that is in discussion, both openly and behind closed doors is whether the Majlis Syura had acted beyond its jurisdiction.
In a statement signed by Nik Aziz and his deputy Datuk Dr Haron Din, the council said its decision was based on Islamic law (hukum syarak).
What has the council to do with the decision on the Selangor Menteri Besar and Khalid, since it is a political issue?
Party members now wonder whether the council should involve itself in problems of another political party — the crisis is after all seen by many, as a PKR internal problem and therefore should be resolved by the party concerned.
And as a partner in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS is expected to support the decision made by PKR over its choice of Menteri Besar.
Its after all akin to the situation in Kedah the last time when PAS was facing a leadership crisis in the the Malay belt state involving then Menteri Besar, the late Datuk Azizan Abdul Razak.
PAS guidance has always been provided by the ulama since the party’s inception in 1951. No doubt about this.
The ulamas’ ascendency came about in the early 1980s with the rise of a group of young preachers and the subsequent establishment of the Majlis Syura Ulama in 1983.
And since the party’s adoption of leadership of the ulama (kepimpinan ulama), the Majlis Syura Ulama has been its leading light.
The pervasive role of the ulama in charting the Islamist party’s political journey thus far makes the party what it is today — with nearly one million members, it is the largest Opposition party in Malaysia.
It was the Majlis Syura Ulama that ruled that PAS could have political co-operation or tahaluf siayasi with PKR and the DAP to form the loose Opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat after the 12th General Election in 2008.
A quick look at PAS’ constitution concludes that the council, the highest decision body in the party after the muktamar (general assembly) interprets policies according to Islamic tenets.
Its role is:
*to elaborate, explain and interpret politics and constitutional provisions, to ascertain their meaning and purpose;
* issue directives and rulings to ensure policies and decisions are adhered and implemented; and,
* ensure that policies and decisions, as well as constitutional provisions, are adhered to in party activities and administration.
The Selangor Menteri Besar crisis it seems, is not only a big headache for PKR, but also PAS which has come under threat of a major opinion split.
