PAS muktamar: Delegates bash Mat Sabu for contradicting Hadi

(The Star) – PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu was put in the hot seat by several delegates, who accused him of going against the party president’s decision on the Selangor mentri besar crisis.

Terengganu delegate Mohd Nor Hamzah asked why certain leaders in PAS openly contradicted Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the PAS Ulama Syura council’s decision to name more than one candidate for the mentri besar position.

“No one is saying that the president is maksum (perfect) and can’t do wrong but we need to be wala’ (loyal) to the president,” he said.

In debating the president’s policy speech Friday, Mohd Nor reminded party members and leaders that they were bound to the party leadership despite forgingtahaluf siyasi (political cooperation) with Pakatan Rakyat.

Using an analogy of friendship between three friends – PKR, DAP and PAS – he said the party should act as “one body, one head, one mouth, one leg of PAS”.

“We cannot be having one PAS’ hand but follow DAP’s head.

“Our head is our president, the heads of PKR are (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim and (Datuk Seri) Dr Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) and let’s not follow PKR and DAP,” he said.

Kelantan delegate Ahmad Fadhli Shaari expressed his sadness when Mohamad, who is also fondly known as Mat Sabu, said the president’s views on the crisis were not an official stand of the party.

“I respect Mohamad because he is our leader but I am sad when he said the president was merely expressing his own views on the crisis and did not represent the party,” he said.

He also defended PAS Youth’s alleged walkout against Mohamad last Tuesday, saying it was not wrong for the wing to express support for the president.

Federal Territories Dr Azhari Ariffin, in his debate, led fellow delegates in a prayer so that the deputy president would not issue statements against the president.

“Only then he would understand the meaning of wala’  (loyalty),” he said.

The second round of debate will resume in the afternoon.