Pressure remains for PAS to act against members involved in PasMa
While Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) continues to spread its wings, there is also pressure on PAS to take action against party members involved in the group.
Penang PasMa chairman Zolkifly Md Lazim said the Penang PAS leadership had been pressed to take action on members who had joined the group.
"The action will be in form of the group's members losing the party positions they hold.
"But so far, no such action has been taken although the pressure is there," he told The Malaysian Insider last night in Seberang Jaya, Penang.
Zolkifly said he was questioned by some leaders in the state party committee two weeks ago about his involvement in PasMa and what the group was about.
He said questions were asked but there was no action taken to have him removed as a committee member in Penang PAS.
"There is no action now but I don't know if there will be in the future," he said.
In Penang, Zolkifly said, the group had been generally well-received with people asking him when the state branch would be set up.
"Our colleagues from PKR and DAP are also receiving us positively. PasMa was given a slot in the recent Anwar Ibrahim ceramah here," he said.
PasMa was set up on Merdeka Day at the height of the Selangor menteri besar impasse, in response to speculation that PAS was considering joining Umno to resolve the problem.
Although PasMa had said its objective was to ensure that PAS and its Pakatan Rakyat colleagues PKR and DAP stuck together, the group was accused of being set up by party members frustrated that they had no leading role in the party.
The group was criticised by the cleric faction, and on October 22, the Shura Council, which is considered the party's highest decision-making body, banned members from participating in the group.
It was reported that the group was now further establishing itself in various states, setting up branches and planning to open offices and hiring permanent staff.
Zolkifly said the group was accused of misconduct and trying to break up PAS but there was no proof that PasMa had sullied the Islamist party's image.
"The group has never made statements against the party to tarnish its reputation," he said.
Zolkifly said that PasMa's main objective as a group was to lobby PR parties, especially PAS, to stay in the coalition.
He said PasMa wanted to help make sure the coalition's component parties kept their course set towards Putrajaya.
"PasMa is not just zeroing in on PAS. It is looking at helping PR in political, economic and social issues," he said.
Zolkifly said some might argue that there were internal channels to air grouses and raise issues but not everyone had access to those channels when there was a party hierarchy to deal with.
Apart from channelling information to the party, the group's progressive-minded members could help the party move forward in the direction of Putrajaya together with its PR colleagues, he said.
On PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang seeing PasMa in a bad light, Zolkifly said the former might have not gotten a clear picture of what the group was about. – November 1, 2014.
