‘DAP sympathisers or Umno stooges’ – PAS leadership crisis worsens

The leadership crisis in PAS has worsened with leaders from opposing camps accusing each other of being either DAP sympathisers or Umno stooges.

Baradan Kuppusamy, The Sun Daily

The party is holding its annual general meeting between June 4 – 6 and the two factions – ulamas and moderates – are facing each other for all party posts for the first time ever.

Party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (pix) launched a blistering attack on Friday urging party delegates to choose between DAP sympathisers or party loyalists when casting their votes.

“It is up to PAS members whether they want to liberate themselves and follow their own policies or to follow DAP’s dictates,” Harakahdaily.com quoted Hadi saying in Marang.

Hadi said DAP was out to influence PAS decisions at the Muktamar.

He urged party delegates to make a choice between Ulamas, who are not supported by DAP, and the moderates who are supported by them.

“I want to give a chance to PAS members to choose whether we want to side with ourselves or with DAP,” said Hadi, who had earlier vowed to take PAS out of Pakatan Rakyat for DAP’s failure to support hudud laws.

Hadi made it clear in his Marang speech that DAP, with which he has had a running battle since last August when he did not support Datuk Dr Wan Azizah Ismail as Mentri Besar of Selangor, is the enemy of PAS.

Hadi is the first president to be challenged in the party’s 60-year history.

Former PAS vice-president Ahmad Awang is taking on Hadi.

Ahmad shared the same stage with deputy president Mohammed Sabu in Tumpat yesterday giving the impression that they were a team.

At the event Hadi came in for criticism from Awang and Sabu.

Mohamad Sabu is facing a challenge for the deputy president’s post from Hadi’s ally, Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

Sabu had earlier also criticised Hadi, intensifying the attacks on Hadi and the ulamas.

He mocked Hadi’s failure to capture Terengganu and sneered at his plans to take PAS out of Pakatan Rakyat.

Abdul Hadi had reportedly said he would take PAS out of Pakatan Rakyat if DAP continues to provoke the party after a disagreement over a plan to implement hudud law in Kelantan.

Ahmad also said at the same event that he would keep PAS in Pakatan Rakyat if he is elected president.

The PAS leadership crisis is worsening as leaders of both factions take sides between supporting the Ulama or the moderates.

Former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin for instance won applause at a forum here last night when he criticised Hadi’s call to delegates to choose between DAP sympathizers or loyalists.

“Do we want a president who is a puppet of DAP or a puppet of Umno?” asked Nizar.

Hadi’s drawing of a line between the two warring factions has divided the once united party, into two clear factions.

“The run-up to the Muktamar is seeing the fiercest and ugliest infighting between Ulama and the progressives,” said a former vice-president, who is now a keen observer of PAS politics.

The moderates, who have been vocal in supporting Pakatan Rakyat, have been labeled as “parasites” by the Ulamas.

The progressives have labelled the Ulamas as “lackeys” of Umno for cooperating with Umno over Hudud laws.