Khalid Samad warns of PAS faction out to end ties with Pakatan

PAS moderate Khalid Samad (pic) has warned of a faction in the Islamist party which is out to break its alliance with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in order to create a more "exclusive" and "chauvinistic" brand of Islam.

In a hard-hitting blog post today, the PAS central committee member said this group was believed to have emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000, and could comprise “SB” members whom he claimed had infiltrated PAS in the 1980s.

"Even if they are not SB, it is certain that this new group is set to undo all that PAS has built till now,” he said.

He later told The Malaysian Insider that this faction was more chauvinistic than even groups like Isma (Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia).

"They want to make the party more exclusive and they want to exclude the professional group in PAS.”

In his posting, Khalid, who is also the Shah Alam MP, said this group, which he named “Langgar Golongan Professional” (Against the Professionals), has divided PAS internally and provoked a crisis the likes of which the party had never seen.

He said the group had three strategies: one, to promote the leadership of the ulama to the extent that it could not be challenged; two, to attack the leadership from the professional and pro-Pakatan Rakyat faction; and three, to attack and create tension with allies PKR and DAP.

"After calling themselves ulama or defenders of the ulama leadership, this group will then attack the old leadership, especially those from the professional faction that is pro-PR.”

He said the original objective of the Shura Council was to monitor the party's journey to ensure that it did not stray from Islam, but the anti-professional faction had adopted a new understanding more akin to a “Western theocratic” approach, whereby the ulama’s authority was paramount.

“The ulama have to be given positions although they might not be skilled or knowledgeable. This is against inclusiveness and has narrowed the room for participation by all so that cooperation between the ulama and professionals is no longer happening.”

At the same time, this group also seeks to ruin the close relationship between the ulama and professional factions in the party by planting suspicions in the ulama against the professionals, Khalid said.

"By using emotions and sentiments, their hope is that their targeted leaders would be rejected by PAS members," he added.

The group targets leaders by accusing them of being liberal, disloyal to the president and ulama and being more aligned to PR and PKR, Khalid said.

“Their targets are those from the professional faction, who strongly support cooperation through PR."

And by attacking allies PKR and DAP, they are in fact more friendly towards Umno and Barisan Nasional, Khalid said.

He said this group was hiding behind slogans like "Love the president, love the ulama".

Their objective was to make sure that PAS left the PR coalition, Khalid said, but noted that he was unsure if they intended to create an alliance with Umno and BN or not.

"What is clear is that this group wants PAS to leave PR, and with that, Umno/BN will be able to breathe in relief. Their nightmares will be over. This is because the only one that can defeat Umno/BN is PR.

"So that means, whoever wants PR to fail is actually helping Umno/BN."

To overcome this problem in PAS, Khalid called on the professional faction and the ulama supporters to engage in a debate.

"With this debate or forum, we can judge whether their arguments are right or is it only to bring about a break-up for a hidden reason. Are they willing and brave to do this? InsyaAllah I am willing."

Khalid's warning comes even as PAS central committee today said that it had been sidelined by the Shura Council, which is headed by ulama, in naming the party's candidates for the Selangor menteri besar position.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said that the party's central committee members had no knowledge of the latest development reported today whereby the names of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Azmin Ali were left out of the list submitted to the palace, but which included two other PKR assemblymen and one PAS exco member.

Utusan Malaysia today reported PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali as saying that PAS’s top decision-making Shura Council had decided that the Islamist party nominate two party lawmakers and two from PKR for the Selangor menteri besar post.

This was contrary to the decision the Islamist party's central committee had reached at its meeting on August 17 to nominate Dr Wan Azizah, who is PKR president and her deputy, Azmin as Selangor MB.

On Sunday, several PAS members began a campaign to ensure the Islamist party stays in PR, after president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told a central committee meeting on August 25 that he wished to cooperate with Umno to form the Selangor government.

The Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) was formed after some 100 PAS members met in Kota Baru with the aim to counter the possibility of PAS leaving the pact in favour of sharing power with Umno.

PAS's role in Pakatan has been debated on numerous occasions, most recently during the Selangor menteri besar saga, with some members asking PAS leaders to review the party’s cooperation with PKR and DAP, saying the Islamist party had been compromised.

Khalid had previously urged PAS members who want the Islamist party to leave PR to instead leave the party.

He had said that if members felt the party was better off without Pakatan, then they should join Umno.

"Once these members leave, only then PAS will be able to become an effective member of Pakatan Rakyat," he said. – September 5, 2014.

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