PAS’ Ahmad Awang slams ‘instant ulamas’, name-calling

(The Star) – “They appear to look like ulama so they can rise within the party ranks quickly. They only need to wear the right clothes and always be seen to support the ulama leaders”

PAS veteran Ahmad Awang (pic) has slammed the current trend of creating “instant ulamas” as detrimental to the party.

The former Perak PAS commissioner said he longed for a return to the days when the late Datuk Fadzil Noor managed to bring together different groups like the ulama and the professionals to work together.

“Things are so different now though, as there seems to be a move to have a full-fledged ulama leadership throughout the party, even at the division level,” he told The Star Online.

An ulama himself, Ahmad, however, believes that the party should remember Fadzil’s message that there should be a mixed leadership of professionals and ulamas.

Expressing his disappointment with the current trend, he said the Islamist party now is full of “ulama jadian” (instant ulama) who use their appearance as a means to rise in the party.

“They appear to look like ulama so they can rise within the party ranks quickly. They only need to wear the right clothes and always be seen to support the ulama leaders,” he said.

Ahmad, who has sat on the Syura Ulama council for more than two decades, from early ’90s, also expressed his sadness over the term “wala’” (loyal), that has been used to chastise those who have differing views from the president.

He said the term surfaced in the midst of the Selangor mentri besar crisis, and it was the first time that it had used.

“Being wala’ does not mean one needs to be wala’ to an individual. He needs to be wala’ to the leadership as a whole.

“If that individual has done something wrong and was criticised for it, those who criticise him should not be labelled as traitors,” he said.

Ahmad was speaking in reference to the case of two Selangor assemblymen who were branded as “broker” and “barua” (lackeys) by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang for signing a Statutory Declaration (SD) in support of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Pakatan Rakyta’s sole candidate for the post of mentri besar during the crisis.

“How could they be called such things when the party had not declared its stance on at the time? It was inappropriate of (Hadi) to make such remark,” he said.

He gave the example of Saidina Umar, one of Prophet Muhammad’s disciples, who was criticised by one of his followers, but nor once had term wala’ used to chastise him.

“I was a Perak PAS commissioner for 10 years and I admit that we had problems, but we never resorted to using the term wala’. Instead, we would find ways to solve our problems,” he said.

Today, he said, things have changed in the party with leaders labelling and accusing others who are not on the same page as them.

“The president is not maksum (protected from sin). Can he not be criticised at all by those who have different views?” Awang asked.