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PasMa may replace PAS in Pakatan, says analyst

The Malaysian Insider
PAS says Kelantan ready to face any suit against hudud – Bernama

Talk is rife among PAS leaders that PasMa, a new group formed by some of the Islamist party's members, may replace the party in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) following the latest twist in the Selangor menteri besar crisis.

“Will PasMa replace PAS in Pakatan Rakyat?” PAS political analyst Dr Kamarul Yusof wrote on his Facebook.

The rumblings emerged after several PAS leaders appear poised to split from the party over disagreements on how the top leadership has been dealing with its allies in PR.

Kamarul said it appeared that PasMa’s formation was the first step towards establishing a splinter party, and likened it to Turkey President Tayyib Recep Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“I have not been following the developments in Turkey but at a glance, it appears that it is happening here,” he said in reply to a question on his Facebook on whether PasMa would follow in Erdogan’s footsteps.

AKP was formed when the reformist faction in Turkey’s Virtue Party quit the party and merged with other quarters to establish a single party.

PasMa, a non-govermental organisation (NGO), was set up in Kota Baru to ensure PAS remains in PR, in what is seen as a challenge to Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s conservative leadership in the party.

Hadi himself was asked on the future of PasMa during a briefing in his constituency, Rusila, Marang, Terengganu, on Thursday.

“Whoever wants to form a party, go ahead. That is their right.

“When we have a mosquito always flying around us, it is quite difficult to go to sleep,” said Hadi, in an apparent jab at the PAS leaders who often criticised his decisions.

The PAS central committee meeting on August 25 saw leaders rebuking their president for proposing that the party collaborate with Umno in Selangor to form a government under the leadership of PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

Yesterday, it was reported that the PAS Shura Council had overridden the PAS central committee’s August 17 decision to nominate both Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Azmin for the Selangor menteri besar post.

According to the reports, Hadi had signed a letter to the Sultan of Selangor nominating two PKR assemblymen and one PAS state representative for the top post.

“The PKR representatives are neither Dr Wan Azizah nor Azmin,” said a PKR source.

It is understood that the three nominees are PKR’s Ijok assemblyman Dr Idris Ahmad, PKR’s Kota Anggerik assemblyman Dr Yaakub Sapari, and PAS Selangor commissioner Iskandar Samad.

PasMa, or Persatuan Muafakat Sejahtera Malaysia, has become a hot topic among PAS leaders and members on Facebook since The Malaysian Insider reported it on Wednesday.

“Pakatan Rakyat is the best political collaboration so far, and preparations must be made in case there are quarters who wish to disrupt this collaboration,” said Che Ibrahim Mohamed, a PasMA committee member, on Facebook.

Other quarters in PAS have labelled the group as a possible splinter party, after their leaders grew unhappy with PAS’s handling of the Selangor menteri besar crisis.

They have listed down the names of PAS leaders who disagree with the party’s approach over the Selangor impasse, and have included them in PasMa.

Former Shura Council member Ustaz Ahmad has been appointed PasMA’s spiritual adviser, while Datuk Husam Musa was named the group’s president.

“This is a positive development as there are certain quarters introducing us,” PasMa secretary-general Taib Ahmad, a PAS activist from Kedah, told The Malaysian Insider.

Taib said PasMA’s president is actually Datuk Phahrolrazi Zawawi, the Kedah PAS deputy commissioner, while his deputy is former Pasir Puteh MP Muhamad Husin, and his vice-president is Hisomudin Abu Bakar.

“We are in the process of appointing the commissioner and committee for each state,” said Taib.

Che Ibrahim said PasMa was an NGO that could call anyone to give a briefing on the current situation. The group will hold a public forum on Monday at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

“We cannot allow the PR banner to be held up by PKR and DAP alone,” he said, adding that the coalition was a “political understanding”, and not an official alliance.

“If any party fails to reach a consensus, or refuses to make a joint decision, then the understanding can be considered to have come to an end, like in the Selangor MB crisis where we are no longer acting based on the spirit of PR,” he said. – September 6, 2014.