Trouble brewing within PAS

The clash between the Anwarists and ulama is evident even as the party regroups following the by-election loss.

Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star

THE hero’s welcome given to two PAS state assemblymen – Saari Sungib and Hasnul Baharuddin – by DAP diners exemplifies the dilemma PAS faces.

While the two are seen as heroes for “saving” the Pakatan Rakyat government during the Selangor mentri besar crisis, their own party has labelled them “traitors” who sold out to PKR and DAP.

They had signed statutory declarations backing PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The other PAS assemblymen however stayed loyal to Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

The episode illustrates the dilemma PAS is in: the clash between the ulama, who control the levers of power, and the Anwarists, the so-called liberals who support Pakatan adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who enjoys the support of non-Malays.

While the Anwarists have taken a back seat in PAS for now, they are sure to exert themselves again if PAS fields them in the next general election.

Otherwise, as the two assemblymen indicated on Saturday night, they might move to either PKR or DAP.

But the larger issues in PAS remain – looking beyond ailing spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, resolving the open dichotomy between the progressives who have the support of non-Malays and the ulama, the loss of Malay ground to Umno as indicated when PAS lost Pengkalan Kubor by a bigger majority last week, and the insistence on implementing hudud when Malaysia is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society.

Hanging over Pakatan is the yet unresolved threat that the ulama in PAS are ready to take PAS out, leaving the coalition without its biggest partner and biggest rival to Umno.

In Pengkalan Kubor, Barisan Nasional won with an enlarged majority, doing much better than last year and in 2008 despite the fact that PAS has ruled Kelantan for 24 years.

Perhaps, as many PAS leaders pointed out at the recent PAS muktamar, ruling that long in Kelantan might be a bane for PAS.

Kelantan is crying out for development.

PAS’ arsenal involves only Islam to rally voters while it has also exploited the “oil royalty” issue. Barisan however campaigned that Kelantan is not entitled to any royalty.

The coalition’s campaign to bring development to villages in Pengkalan Kubor fell on ready ears.

As some PAS leader had warned, PAS might end up losing Kelantan in the next polls unless they champion issues that are close to the populace and not abstract things like hudud.

The ulama might have analysed that the drain of Malay voters is not only caused by PAS’ failure to implement hudud but other pressing problems like the high cost of living, low income and a mat rempit lifestyle.

Another contributing factor is probably the split in Pakatan that saw PKR and DAP bigwigs refusing to turn up and lend support for PAS.

While Chinese and Indian voters are negligible in Pengkalan Kubor, the leaders’ presence would signal that all was well in the coalition.

When they failed to turn up, it showed that the coalition was all messed up.

PAS must find a way to narrow the differences between the ulama and Anwarists in the party and Pakatan must resolve the crisis over PAS’ threat to leave.

The Selangor mentri besar crisis has inadvertently brought out the major differences between DAP, a secular and socialist party, and PAS, a religious and Islamic party.

The two parties are at odds on several fronts.

These are minor issues but if unattended, they could flare up into major differences like DAP embracing the two PAS assemblyman labelled as “traitors” by Hadi, secretary-general Lim Guan Eng filing a defamation suit against Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan and the sacking of a PAS councillor by a council in Penang dominated by DAP and PKR.

While these issues will cause inter-party friction, PAS’ most pressing problem on its hands is the unresolved fight between the ulama and the Anwarists.

And, above all, its ageing and ailing top leadership is a major problem as PAS faces a resurgence of Umno in the rural Malay heartland states.

The viability of ulama rule, which has served PAS well in the last four decades, is now questioned by a new breed of ambitious professionals.

Their clash with the ulama will colour PAS politics in the years to come and may decide whether Pakatan will survive intact.

Pengkalan Kubor could be an early reminder of what is to come.