In PAS, PasMa grows stronger despite Shura Council ban

By admin-s On Oct 30, 2014

(TMI) – In a sign of growing disgruntlement against PAS conservatives, support for the pro-Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera (PasMa) is rising with branches now being set up in every state, despite the Shura Council’s ban on members joining the cell within the Islamist party.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the fast-growing group has already appointed its chiefs for every state, and is now planning to set up a permanent office and hiring fulltime workers to handle its expansion.

In PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s home state of Terengganu, where the cell faces the biggest opposition, almost all of the eight districts have each appointed a PasMa leader. Kedah, too, has appointed nearly all its PasMa district chiefs.

“We are not ignoring the (ban by the) Shura Council. What’s happening now is that there are conflicting statements from the secretary-general and the Shura Council,” said PasMa president Datuk Phahrolrazi Zawawi.

“The secretary-general said there is nothing wrong in joining an NGO, while the Shura Council advised us not to,” he said, referring to Datuk Mustapha Ali’s statement that PasMa was merely a group.

Phahrolrazi said it was up to the PAS leaders to manage the conflict of orders, adding that responsibility of interpreting the party’s constitution lay with the PAS legal and human rights bureau.