Staying alive in Kelantan

PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang is on the mend following heart surgery, and he is expected to be back in action in two months but his party is said to be struggling to hold on to Kelantan.

Joceline Tan, The Star

IT was Datuk Seri Hadi Awang’s first major public appearance since his heart surgery in May.

He looked rather wane and moved slowly, almost as though he was walking on eggshells. His stamina level is still not back to normal and there were minders hovering around in case he needed help.

The PAS president has also grown fairer because he had not been outdoors very much and his clothes looked a few sizes too large for him. He is only starting to switch from a diet of porridge to rice but his doctors say he is at his ideal weight.

He is still supposed to be resting at home but the International Conference on Muslim Unity at the stadium in Kota Baru is his brainchild and there was no way he would miss it.

He arrived for its opening in a buggy driven by his party secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan.

There were some anxious moments among the PAS leaders, but the morning passed without any incident. Hadi, who underwent a valve-replacement surgery in IJN in May, spoke for about 25 minutes and later in the afternoon he addressed the actual conference where he switched to Arabic to accommodate the international audience.

But the big event was the finale two nights later where he spoke before a packed stadium crowd.

“He has yet to move into 4th gear but for him to be in Kota Baru addressing so many people is a big step forward,” said his long-time friend Datuk Mustafa Ali.

It is not easy for political parties to fill up a stadium these days because the infatuation that voters had for politicians is over. But PAS managed to bring out the crowd and the optics and atmosphere were amazing – it almost felt like the good old days again.

The evening ended with the emcee leading the masses to shout “Takbir!” for a total of 27 times to mark their 27 years of power in Kelantan.

“He felt tired but everything went well. The doctors want him to take it easy for another month, at least until after Raya Haji,” said PAS election director Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

It was no coincidence that the Islamic conference was held in Kota Baru.

PAS has been under tremendous pressure since its split from the opposition coalition. The future is less than clear, and the party is unsure whether it can hold on to the seats won in 2013.

Moreover, there is growing speculation that Kelantan may fall to Umno in the general election as a consequence of Amanah cannibalising the PAS vote. PAS leaders are aware of such talk and the party’s topmost priority is to hold on to Kelantan without which PAS would be like a man on one leg.

The three-day Islamic conference helped boost morale in the state. It was also to send a signal that Hadi, who is the deputy president of the World Ulama Association, is a big name in the international ulama community.

Recently, the well known Tunisian Islamist Rashed Ghannouchi, who is the leader of the Ennahdha party, called on Hadi after making a courtesy call on Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya.

Rashed, who was among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012, and the PAS leader are old friends and he had given Hadi a gold-threaded traditional vest, similar to that he presented to Najib.

Hadi recently published an open letter in Harakah, urging Malaysians to give the Islamic approach a chance. His plea failed to resonate among the non-Muslims who are still suspicious of the RUU355 issue that is still stuck in Parliament,

The man who had divided Muslims in the country down the middle during his younger days, is now calling for Muslim unity.

His Hari Raya wish was for the Muslims to be united and to preserve the racial harmony the country has enjoyed all these years. It was definitely his most mellow Hari Raya message ever.

Age, all those political ups and downs as well as a near-death experience has enabled this God-fearing man to see the world in a more realistic light.

At the same time, he described the group which monopolised the votes of one race and which is now seeking to win Putrajaya as “the slaves of the enemies of Islam”.

“Our main focus is to defend Kelantan, our members all over have been asked to give priority to the state,” said Takiyuddin who is also Kota Baru MP.

According to the party’s Selangor election chief Roslan Shahir, the party leadership in Penang, Johor, Selangor and Kedah are preparing their election machinery to go for all the seats.

Recently PAS leaders in Penang caused a stir when they announced that they will be contesting in Permatang Pauh.

The PKR leadership was said to be both upset and concerned because the seat will be on shaky ground if PAS makes it a three-corner fight.

“Our members are also clamouring to contest in Selangor. The candidates for Gombak and Batu Caves have been announced,” said Roslan.

PAS has a strong presence in Gombak which is the parliamentary seat of PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali while the Batu Caves assemblyman is PKR’s Amirudin Shari. These two seats could be in jeopardy if PAS jumps into the ring.

The party also announced during its Hari Raya open house in Seri Setia, that it would be contesting the seat currently held by PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

PAS has been using the following tagline – defend Kelantan, recover Kedah and lead in Selangor.

The first one is reasonable, the second is based on hope while the third is rather confusing. Is PAS planning to form a coalition government with Pakatan in Selangor?

Slowly recovering: Hadi, who is still on medical leave, made his first big public appearance at a rally in Kota Baru last week.

The Selangor Mentri Besar upset Pakatan leaders when he said that Pakatan Rakyat was still alive in the Selangor government.

DAP leaders berated Azmin and insisted that Pakatan Rakyat is dead. If that is so, why are DAP and PAS still sitting together in the Selangor government?

Azmin is not easy to read at all. Recently, he turned up at the Hari Raya open house hosted by Hulu Langat MP Che Rosli Che Mat who is the local PAS leader. He praised Rosli and Dusun Dua assemblyman Razaly Hassan who is also from PAS as “among the best YBs in Selangor”.

The PAS crowd loved it and took it as sign that Azmin wants to continue their political ties.

Azmin has been sending out all these mixed signals. The question is whether Azmin has got what it takes to negotiate with PAS while staying in line with Pakatan Harapan. Can he run with the hare and hunt with the hounds?

Despite PAS being thrown out of Pakatan, their Hari Raya open houses this year have drawn bigger crowds than in previous years.

PAS leaders are not sure whether it is because the Malays approve of the party breaking off from DAP or whether it is because the Umno supporters now feel more comfortable about attending PAS gatherings.

PAS in Selangor, said Roslan, is all set to activate its election machinery by Sept 16.

“We will also be naming our candidates. We cannot sit around and wait,” said Roslan.

But instead of diversifying its resources and manpower, PAS should be fully focused on retaining Kelantan.

According to Unisel vice-chancellor Prof Dr Datuk Redzuan Othman, Kelantan is in danger. His surveys show that the comfortable lead PAS used to enjoy over Umno has shrunk because of Amanah which is said to command about 5% support in the state while Bersatu has around 2% support.

Najib enjoys a good rating in Kelantan because of the many gestures that the Federal Government has made towards the state government. The state Umno chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed is also a credible figure, and respected even by PAS members because of his humble and sincere political style.

Dr Redzuan’s survey showed that many Kelantanese still like the ulama leadership. They also liked the collaboration between the state and federal governments but they were not keen on a PAS-Umno collaboration.

Dr Redzuan’s take is that Kelantan may opt for strategic voting – retain PAS as a state government and give the parliamentary seats to Umno.

“We are willing to look at all aspects and possibilities that can make our party a winner, as long as it has nothing to do with PAN (the PAS term for Amanah) and DAP,” said Dr Ahmad Samsuri.