Chinese Votes Are The PAS Goal

Monday, 01 November 2010 16:15

Yam Seng ! to you PAS ! Like one ! we have a dozen here !

By Joceline Tan


The PAS campaign centre in Kampung Baru, the biggest Chinese village in Galas, is not hard to miss.

It was festooned with PAS flags and posters of Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who is a popular figure among the Chinese.

The sweet and lilting vocals of Teresa Teng crooning her most famous song The Moon Reflects My Heart could be heard from within.

A pink Chinese lantern with the words huan yin, or welcome, was hanging at the front.

Those less than familiar with the changes in PAS would probably experience some form of culture shock over the party’s campaign style in the Galas by-election.

Inside, several Chinese men wearing PAS campaign buttons were seated around a table piled with campaign material that included a glossy pull-out on the proclamation of Sultan Muhammad V and which had lots of photographs illustrating the close ties PAS leaders have with the new Sultan.

PAS is pulling out all the stops to woo the Chinese vote.

The party’s campaign material has overwhelmed that of the Barisan Nasional, be it the ubiquitous plastic buntings or huge colourful banners of their candidate Dr Zulkefli Mohamed and other party bigwigs.

It is, after all, the incumbent and the party in power for no less than 20 years.

In contrast, posters of the Barisan Nasional candidate, Abdul Aziz Yusoff, started appearing only yesterday.

Yet, amid these outward displays of might and confidence, it is the Malay vote, which makes up a little over 60% of the electorate, that the party is most worried about at this point in time.

Its ceramah, even those featuring its president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, have sometimes drawn average-sized crowds.

DAP leaders have also lamented the small crowds but in the case of the local Chinese, it is because many of them are farmers who rise at 3am to tap their rubber trees, tend their vegetables farms in the morning, rest in the afternoons, eat dinner at 6pm and turn in at 8pm.

The Malay vote in Galas has been rather too quiet for comfort.

But the talk of the media fraternity was the PAS candidate’s lightning trip to Kuala Lumpur to meet voters working in the Klang Valley.

He left on Saturday night with party election director Datuk Halim Abdul Rahman and returned the next day.

It was the first time any candidate was known to campaign as far as Kuala Lumpur and it was odd to say the least.

“They need all the votes they can get,” said restaurateur Juhaidi Yean Abdullah, who is from Kelantan.

PAS’ offer of a RM250 subsidy to those who return to vote has also been quite controversial.

At a PAS press conference yesterday, a Suhakam official asked PAS election adviser Datuk Wan Rahim Wan Abdullah if the offer was tantamount to an election bribe.

Wan Rahim’s defence was that this was practiced by all political parties.

Everything is sensitive in a by-election and when the taps ran dry on Saturday, it became a campaign issue.

Water cuts are quite common in Gua Musang and Barisan politicians have made the most of it.

Another election issue was Kelantan’s victory in the prestigious Malaysia Cup final, with people asking which side stands to gain from it.

Wan Rahim, an avowed kaki bola, insisted that, “when it comes to football, we are all the same.”

But as everyone knows, the man behind the Kelantan football team is none other than Umno politician Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

Since he took charge of the Kelantan Football Association, the team has made it twice to the Malaysia Cup final before finally emerging as champions last Saturday.

Kelantanese take their football seriously and Annuar is walking tall.

Today, he is scheduled to take a victory drive through Galas town with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Several days earlier, Tengku Razaleigh had compared the by-election to a friendly football game.

While the Malaysia Cup has gone to Kelantan, few are keen to predict who will win in the “Galas friendly”. - The Star

Only Malays can rule ? ? ?: PAS' Siti challenges Puteri Umno to debate

Only Malays can rule ? ? ?: PAS' Siti challenges Puteri Umno to debate

Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

PAS MP for Kota Raja Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud has slammed Puteri Umno chief Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin for “blindly echoing” the recent statements made by former premier Mahathir Mohamad that the position of the Malays would be threatened if a non-Malay became Prime Minister.

She also challenged Rosnah to a public debate on the topic that has sparked widespread public misgivings amongst all the races.

“It is sad and disturbing that in this day and age, after 53 years of nation-building, there are still people who think like this. I am shocked that the police and the Home Ministry have not taken any action on remarks that are blatantly seditious,” Dr Siti Mariah told Malaysia Chronicle.

“I advise all Malaysians not to be frightened by this sort of talk. It is Umno beating the racial drum for votes because they have no other ideas and are too lazy to go to the ground and reach out to the people. It is of course nonsense. The Malays will not lose power, only Umno and BN will lose power. If the Puteri Umno chief is serious, then I challenge her to a public debate. Let us fix a time, venue and day. ”

Isn't this extremism

Rosnah’s comments follow similarly derogatory remarks from the deputy director of the National Civics Bureau Hamim Husin, who as a guest speaker at the Puteri Umno function, had also suggested that only Malays had the right to rule Malaysia.

Puteri Umno's Rosnah

“I believe and I’m confident that without a Malay filling the post of prime minister and other important posts, the position of the Malays will be eroded,” Malaysian Insider reported Rosnah as saying at the function.

"As what we have read and understood, even the opposition leader himself dares to sell the honour of the Malays by offering a second important post in the country if he becomes prime minister.”

It is worth noting that even as Rosnah and Hamim made their comments, her party president Prime Minister Najib Razak was urging the world to reject extremism at a United Nations general assembly.

“We must, and I repeat, we must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us. We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side,” Najib said in his maiden speech to the UN.

Chief hypocrite and little Napoleon hypocrites

DAP's Kor Ming

Pundits said their actions reflected the hypocrisy typical in Umno and demanded that the Home Minister investigate Rosnah, Mahathir and Hamim for making the inflammatory comments.

"If a non-Malay had made those sort of statements, he or she would have been detained for sedition if not the ISA. But do you think Najib will take any action against Mahathir, Rosnah or Hamim?” Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Even the cartoonist Zunar was arrested and remanded for one day just for drawing cartoons about Najib and Rosmah, and yet our Prime Minister wants to tell the world to choose moderation over extremism. Is this not hypocrisy of the greatest degree?"

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PAS leaders return fire: Dr Mahathir is a confused Muslim

PAS leaders return fire: Dr Mahathir is a confused Muslim

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

PAS leaders have returned fire at former premier Mahathir Mohamad for accusing their party of being "Malay political opportunists", calling him "confused" and slamming him for dividing the country along racial lines.

“Tun Dr Mahathir is a confused Muslim who has failed to differentiate between Islam and the Malays. During his reign, Islam was ridiculed and he bred Malay chauvinism and racism,” PAS MP for Buit Gantang Nizar Jamaluddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

Nizar Jamaluddin

Indeed, Mahathir - who ruled Malaysia with a fist of iron from 1981 to 2003 - did send out conflicting signals at a Perkim breaking-fast function on Tuesday night. Perkim is the Muslim Welfare Organization of Malaysia.

While the feisty 85-year old exhorted Muslims to unite or face the possibility of losing political dominance, only hours earlier he had lambasted PAS in his blog, accusing the Islamist party of being insincere by not putting the Malay agenda at the top of its struggle.

“This is exactly what is wrong with Umno and BN. We cannot divide and classify the country along racial lines. PAS is first and foremost an Islamic party and it defend the rights of the Malays along with the rights of Chinese, the Indians, the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut and all other citizens as well,” PAS national unity chairman Mujahid Yusoff Rawa told Malaysia Chronicle.

Mujahid Yusoff Rawa

“This is what Islam is about – love for the Almighty, justice and fairness. But Mahathir’s version is only about who rules the country at whatever means and costs and nothing else. That is Umno Islam. Regretfully, for as long as BN is in power, racial politics will mark the day and the people will remain divided. After 53 years, Umno has failed to unite the Muslims and the Malays - what more the country.”

Losing relevance

Of late, public sentiment has been turning against Mahathir with Malaysians blaming him for much of the social and financial problems currently swamping the nation.

Despite his claims of a bountiful legacy, having built most of Malaysia’s sprawling network of expressways and modern infrastructure, his critics including prominent economists believe that the nation would have progressed much better with another leader at the helm.

Mahathir Mohamad

But growing public disgust for his ruthlessness and megalomania has not stopped Mahathir from holding forth on national politics. Within Umno, Mahathir is still a top power broker and even Prime Minister Najib Razak has to take his cues from him.

“There are quite a large number of Indian Muslims in Malaysia but they do not figure in the political party said to be Islamic. The party, by using Islam, knows full well they are appealing to Malays almost exclusively. But the intention is not to defend the Malays but merely to gain their support. One can say they are not Malay racists. Rather they are Malay political opportunists,” Mahathir said in his blog.

PAS Firm On Hudud Law

Tuesday, 24 August 2010 13:31 |

PAS will stick to its agenda to implement hudud law and set up an Islamic state in Malaysia despite objections by its Pakatan Rakyat ally, the DAP.

“We will not compromise on the matter,” said PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali, reiterating the stand taken by the party’s mursyidul am (spiritual advisor) Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

Nik Aziz, who is Kelantan mentri besar, had reportedly called on leaders of Pakatan - which also includes the PKR - to implement hudud law if the tripartite alliance succeeded in forming the Federal government.

The call drew a lot of flak from the DAP, with party stalwarts Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh fiercely defending the view that Malaysia is a secular state and that any policy changes in the Pakatan can only be made with the mutual agreement of all its component parties.

Reacting to the DAP’s rage over the issue, Mustafa said PAS was also firm on its principle.

Supporting his party elders, PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hasan Tantawi said the DAP should not immediately object to the idea without understanding the principles behind hudud law.

“Existing man-made laws have failed. It is high time the DAP leaders open their eyes to the hudud, qisas and ta’zir enactments that could help overcome social woes,” added Nasrudin, stressing that Islam emphasises fairness.

“Karpal Singh supports civil laws that allow women to be hanged for dumping babies that lead to death.

“Mothers who kill their own children would not even be tried under the hudud law. They will be subjected to the ta’zir laws where the judge would use his discretion in meting out punishment,” said Nasrudin.

He added that any man who dumps and kills a baby would be liable to the death sentence under the qisas laws - where “an eye for an eye” sort of punishment is applied.

Commenting on the PAS-DAP impasse over the hudud issue, MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the two parties had been collaborating as a team and it was strange to hear that, at the same time, the DAP disagrees with PAS.

Dr Wee said Lim also owes the public an explanation over the DAP’s stand.

“Are they (the DAP) playing around with tricks just to get both the Malay and Chinese votes?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Karpal Singh has refuted Nik Aziz’s allegation that he was alone in his stand against hudud law and Islamic state proposed by PAS.

Karpal Singh said Lim had stated their stand that Malaysia was a secular state, and the introduction of hudud law and the setting up of an Islamic state was not Pakatan Rakyat’s policies.

“This statement nails the assertion by Nik Aziz that I was the lone voice in the DAP opposing hudud and Islamic state,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Meanwhile PAS officials were not dissuaded by DAP's assertion that hudud and the Islamic state are not Pakatan Rakyat policies.

PAS vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man called for dialogue among Pakatan Rakyat components.

He said once non-Muslims have an understanding of syariah, they would "fall in love with it".

"The syariah is applicable only to Muslims as it is a religious obligation to comply with the teachings of Islam," he said, adding that exaggerations and false depictions have clouded the perspective of the non-Muslims here.

"They will learn to embrace it if they were enlightened to its essence," he said.

"I feel that the current laws have failed to protect society based on the increasing number of crimes, including baby dumping, drug abuse and other social ills."

He said every party, including the Barisan Nasional, should participate in discussions to find ways to tackle these issues.

However, he said, having such discussions should not be seen as an attempt to align itself with BN.

"Social economic issues are something we should not politicise for the people's sake."

Shah Alam member of parliament Khalid Samad said the onus was on PAS to convince society.

"Society must agree before we make any changes," he said.

PAS Information chief Idris Ahmad said he would rather have PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz make statements on the matter to avoid further confusion.

"It is crucial that each component party is considerate to their respective positions regarding the matter."

Meanwhile, Karpal said PAS should accept that its avowed aim in turning Malaysia into an Islamic state was an "exercise in futility and beyond fulfilment".

However, he said, DAP was prepared to work with PAS in the interest of the people.

"This is an expectation of the people and nothing should be done to defeat their expectations."

No Hudud Agenda: Pakatan Policies Are Clear ????- Kit Siang

Monday, 23 August 2010 12:49 |

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, content in recent times to let Karpal Singh clash with Pas over hudud and the establishment of an Islamic state, waded in yesterday with an emphatic rejoinder.

“DAP’s stand on Malaysia as a secular state has always been consistent. Hudud laws and an Islamic state are not Pakatan Rakyat policies.”

This came a day after Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat declared that Karpal was the lone voice in his party opposing hudud and an Islamic state.

And Nik Aziz asserted this would not harm ties between DAP and Pas, which were allies in Pakatan.

The latest round of debate was sparked by Nik Aziz’s call to implement hudud to rein in cases of baby dumping and other social problems.

Accentuating the DAP-Pas fault lines, Lim alluded yesterday to Pakatan’s “common platform” proclaimed at its convention in Shah Alam on Dec 19 last year.

He said it made no mention of Islamic state and hudud.

In comments posted on his blog yesterday, Lim said questions had again been raised about DAP and Pakatan’s policies on hudud and Malaysia as an Islamic state.

Lim wrote: “PR made a pledge to defend the Federal Constitution, Islam as the religion of the federation, while other religions can be practised peacefully anywhere in the country and protecting the special position of the Malays and the indigenous peoples anywhere, including Sabah and Sarawak,and the legitimate interests of other races in accordance to Article 153.

“PR also made the commitment that religion and other beliefs practised by Malaysians should form the basis of unity that is founded on good universal values.”

Lim said implementing hudud meant a change in policy and any changewould need the agreement of all three component parties.

Lim said that at the convention, Pakatan, among others, had vowed to set up a mechanism to provide solutions to overlapping cases between civil law and syariah, including a royal commission to study all the relevant issues and organise dialogues between the different cultures and religions to strengthen the understanding between them.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the other party in Pakatan, appeared to back DAP on the matter.

PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said implementing hudud was not feasible.

He said this was because the Federal Constitution clearly stated that power over criminal matters rested with the Federal Government and the civil courts.

“The Federal Constitution clearly sets out the two parallel justice systems in the country, which is the civil courts and syariah courts.

“At this stage, while there have been calls to expand the laws to include hudud, crime remains outside the scope of syariah.”

He added that Pakatan had always agreed to refer to the Constitution on matters regarding Islamic law.

Last Updated (Monday, 23 August 2010 16:57)

PAS leader calls for truce over hudud debate

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
Aug 24, 10
2:57pm

PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has urged Pakatan Rakyat leaders to stop squabbling over recent claims that the coalition would implement hudud laws should they come to federal power. Dzulkefly (left) warned that if the public spat goes on unabated, it would result in a second occurrence of an opposition coalition going into 'self-destruct mode', which was last seen in 2001 when DAP left the Barisan Alternatif coalition. He said that Pakatan should be guided by its common policy framework (CPF) drawn up in December. "Pakatan must understand what is necessary in coalition politics, which is about parties undertaking common objectives and policies," said Dzulkefly, who is also a Pakatan leadership secretariat member, when contacted. 'In Pakatan, we have more than enough common ground to form a broad-based policy." In 2001, DAP left Barisan Alternatif in a huff after PAS maintained its stand that it would create a theocratic state based on strict Islamic law and hudud, which prescribed harsh penalties such as amputation for theft and stoning to death for adultery. Dzulkefly said Pakatan leaders must learn from history and avoid another fall-out between opposition parties. He said Pakatan allies PAS, DAP and PKR need to focus on the CPF and their goals for the next general election, as well as respect each other's respective ideologies. However, the Pakatan platform should not be used to promote party positions that are not part of the CPF. DAP and PAS to quarrel till doomsday? Dzulkefly urged his party comrades to accept that the party was an "Islamic democratic party" that works within a democratic legislative framework. "PAS must understand that whatever we do, we must do it with the mandate of the people. We can't force people to accept Islam. This will trigger anxiety and fear among the non-Muslims and sometimes the Muslims." He stressed that hudud and the establishment of an Islamic state are not part of the CPF and should PAS have won all the seats they contested at the Parliamentary level in 2008, it would still not be able to implement them without support from their Pakatan partners. "For the 13th general election, this agenda is not immediately relevant because we are not fighting elections by ourselves. As long as BN always exploits this dichotomy, it becomes the Achilles heel of PR. "As long as hudud and an Islamic state are anathema to DAP while PAS opposes a secular state, and they quarrel over it forever until doomsday, BN and Umno will govern this country and we can forget about taking over the federal government." DAP chairperson Karpal Singh (right) and adviser Lim Kit Siang have again been locked in a war of words with PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat after the latter suggested that hudud laws would be implemented should Pakatan take federal power. Nik Aziz said that strict Islamic laws were necessary to curb social ills, but Karpal and Lim are adamant that Malaysia's laws clearly dictate that the country is governed by secular laws and

PAS and Umno both selfish, says Perkasa boss, Shit shit shit !

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:05

By Hawkeye

PENANG: Perkasa pesident Ibrahim Ali has dismissed the possibility of any Malay-unity talk between Umno and PAS this Ramadan. He said both parties were too insincere in their political agenda to make that happen.

The self-proclaimed Malay rights champion said the Malay community would remain in a political stalemate as long as Umno and PAS continued to waver on the unity talks.

Both had selfish interests to safeguard at the expense of the Malay community as a whole, he said.

Umno has often proposed the talks, and PAS has often demurred, although a few of the Islamic party’s leaders have not rejected them entirely, saying cooperation in religious affairs was possible.

.Malays at the grassroots level wanted unity between the two parties, Ibrahim claimed. He said PAS stood to lose if it continued to ignore calls for the talks.

In the next general election, PAS members may reject their own party in certain states, Ibrahim told FMT.

"PAS members are devout Muslims but, mind you, they are also Malays and if they feel that their rights are eroding in the new Malaysia, they will rebel," he said.

K'tan turmoil: Two Nik Aziz's aides to be axed

Abdul Rahim Sabri
Dec 29, 09

The rift in Kelantan PAS has taken a turn for the worst as Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is at the verge of sacking two of his two long-time political aides.

The media have recently been abuzz about this latest development which involved political secretary Anual Bakhri Haron and press secretary Mohd Saiba Yaakob, whose positions will be determined at PAS Dewan Harian this afternoon.

Speaking to Malaysiakini this morning, Anual confirmed the news but stressed that he had “no problems” in relinquishing his post.

“Besides, I have talked about this (resignation) before... I have served (Nik Aziz) for over 10 years,” he said.

When asked whether his contract termination has anything to do with the ongoing internal feud within the Kelantan state government, he replied: “I would not go that far (to describe it).”

The unease in the state government also went up a notch when senior exco Husam Musa, who is considered Nik Aziz's protégé, launched an indirect criticism against his boss, suggesting that government leaders should separate political interests from family interests.

Husam, in a blog posting yesterday, said two former prime ministers - Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - were seen to put the interest of their own family members above that of the nation.

He did not however touch on the accusation that Nik Aziz was practising cronyism in appointing his son-in-law Abdul Ariffahmi Ab Rahman as head of a strategic state government-linked company.

As calls for Abdul Ariffahmi to quit grow louder, Nik Aziz's daughter Nik Amalina (left) attacked PAS leaders for failing to defend her husband in the face of graft allegations.

Still think PAS is relevant in Selangor ?

Quit S'gor govt, PAS urged

Sunday, 27 December 2009 20:10

SHAH ALAM - A group of Selangor residents wants PAS to withdraw from the tripartite pact with the DAP and PKR, saying the two parties were deceiving and neglecting PAS in the state’s decision-making.

While the group claimed they are PAS members, party insiders believe they are Umno supporters out to destablise the Pakatan Rakyat administration in Selangor.

Group spokesman Wan Hilman Abdul Rahim, who said he is from the PAS Gombak division, said they will be submitting a memorandum to Selangor PAS chief Hassan Ali (pic), who is also a state executive councillor,on Monday.

Grievances against alliance

The memorandum spells out their grievances against the Pakatan Rakyat adminiustration in Selangor.

"We feel PAS is being deceived and neglected in the decision-making process. We are not happy with the way the Selangor government takes care of Islamic interests and the people, especially the Malays,” said Wan Hilman.

The group of about 20 people held a peaceful demonstration outside the Selangor PAS office here Sunday.

“We want PAS to review its position in the Pakatan pact in Selangor," he told reporters at the scene.

He denied their action was ‘orchestrated’ by either Selangor Umno or PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim.

'Don't accept memo'

It is learnt that in the past few days an SMS was being circulated to urge the Malays in Selangor to take part in the anti-Pakatan protest.

A PAS official who received the SMS said he traced the source of the phone message to an Umno leader.

Commenting on the matter, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said the party was not connected to the group. He alleged it was formed to belittle the party.

"I do not know them. The group does not come under us (PAS), and this is all slanderous," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Salahuddin, the Kubang Kerian MP, said PAS will study the issue before considering whether ornot to sue the group. "We will look into that (legal action) later. Let things be for now," he said.

Meanwhile, a pro-PAS blogger, bongkarsauh, urged Hassan not to accept the memorandum.

To accept the memorandum would mean going against the fellowship principle of the Pakatan, the blogger said.

New state govt in January?

“An important stand has to be made. This is not the time to show goodness, be friendly, be open minded..and what else...with those who have devious intentions,” the blogger added.

In another development, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (pic) said Umno leaders was spreading the word within the various state government agencies that the Barisan Nasional is set to take over the Selangor government in January.

“Following this, state agencies that are still led by Umno supporters are not functioning as they should,” he said, adding that these agencies were waiting to see if this prediction would come true. – Malaysian Mirror

DAP in cahoots with PAS to turn this country into an Islamic Country .

Nik Aziz: DAP sudah boleh terima penubuhan negara Islam

PETALING JAYA, Dis 28 — Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat mendakwa DAP kini sudah dapat menerima rancangan penubuhan sebuah negara Islam yang diperjuangkan oleh PAS selama ini.

Nik Aziz berkata kesediaan pemimpin DAP membawa lambang PAS dalam Pakatan Rakyat ketika ini membuktikan mereka semakin memahami dan dapat menerima dasar perjuangan PAS.

"Saya rasa bangga dan terharu dengan perubahan yang ditunjukkan kepimpinan DAP kini, yang selama ini dengan jelas membantah dasar Islam yang akan dilaksanakan oleh PAS dalam usaha melaksanakan sebuah negara Islam sekiranya berkuasa kelak.

"Lo ini (sekarang) alhamdulillah semua tuduhan yang dilemparkan (DAP) terhadap hasrat PAS untuk melaksanakan dasar negara Islam itu sudah diterima oleh mereka," kata beliau dipetik Berita Harian hari ini.

Nik Aziz yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan dilaporkan berkata demikian semasa berucap merasmikan Majlis Perhimpunan Kesedaran Wanita Kelantan dekat Temangan, Machang.

Beliau mengakui turut memakai lambang parti DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat dan PAS untuk membuktikan kesetiaan dan hubungan baik yang dijalin antara mereka dalam Pakatan Rakyat ketika konvensyen sulung mereka di Shah Alam, Selangor 19 Dis lalu.

Kata beliau semua pemimpin memakai baju yang memaparkan lambang tiga parti termasuklah Pengerusi DAP Karpal Singh dan Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang pada majlis itu tanpa dirancang.

"Apa salahnya menggunakan lambang roket? Dulu DAP menentang PAS pasal hukum hudud, namun sekarang mereka sudah faham mengenai hukum hudud," katanya.

Nik Aziz berkata pemimpin DAP sepatutnya sudah lama menyedari yang penubuhan sebuah negara Islam yang dicadangkan PAS dikuatkuasakan terhadap orang Islam sahaja.

Katanya selain membantah cadangan itu DAP juga pernah menuduh kerajaan PAS Kelantan di bawah pimpinannya menzalimi orang bukan Islam tetapi gagal membuktikan dakwaan itu sehingga kini.

Ketika berucap pada konvensyen itu, Nik Aziz berkata "di dada Karpal ada bulan" merujuk kepada lambang PAS bulan.

Kedua-dua Nik Aziz dan Karpal buat pertama kali bertemu di satu pentas.

Karpal dalam ucapannya pula berkata beliau bukan sahaja duduk di sebelah Nik Aziz hari ini tetapi di antara Nik Aziz dan Hadi.

PAS Selangor at a crossroads?

Hasan has repeatedly clashed with his Pakatan Rakyat partners. — File pic

By Neville Spykerman

SHAH ALAM, Dec 23 — PAS may end up the biggest losers in Selangor come the next general elections.

The Islamic party, which won eight out of the 56 state seats in Election 2008, in mostly urban or semi-urban constituencies, stands to lose the support of non-Muslims who make up between 20 and 40 per of voters in these constituencies, according to its own ground reports.

PAS contested a further 12 seats in predominantly rural Malay majority constituencies but lost all of them to Umno.

A PAS state lawmaker, who did not want to be named, told The Malaysian Insider that the support the party received from non-Muslims is dissipating.

“I don’t even know if I can retain my own seat in the next general elections.

“I’m on the ground, we meet the non-Malays and know they are not happy,” he said, adding that their main grouse is against the state Pas leadership, which has invited one controversy after another.

Earlier this year, PAS Commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali proposed a beer ban for Muslim-majority areas and moved to empower mosques officials to arrest Muslims caught drinking.

Although PAS attempted to explain that the proposals, which were eventually not implemented, would only affect Muslims, it triggered uneasiness among non-Muslims and created the perception that the party was pushing a hard-line Islamic agenda.

Non-muslims make up 47 per cent of Selangor ‘s population.

Worse still, Hasan has repeatedly clashed with his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners.

He made an open challenge in the media calling for his State Executive colleague, Ronnie Liu, to resign for allegedly ordering the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) to return beer seized illegally from a 7-Eleven outlet.

More recently he caused another stir by undermining the authority of the special select committee for competency, accountability and transparency (Selcat) which was investigating abuse of state funds by former Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers just before the general elections last year.

Hasan accused Speaker Teng Chang Khim, who heads the state government watchdog, of bullying civil servants during a public inquiry into the misuse of funds.

“I think we are going to be in trouble if there is no change in direction or in the state leadership,” said the Pas lawmaker.

Ibrahim Suffian from the Merdeka Center for Independent Research who spoke to The Malaysian Insider did not, however, completely share the lawmaker’s pessimism.

“Overall PAS is gaining more support from non-Muslims, more so now after last week’s PR Convention when they reiterated their stand with the coalition.”

Before the March 8 general elections, non-Malay sentiment was to vote for any party which was not in the ruling BN coalition including PAS despite the reservations they might have had about the Islamic party.

In subsequent by-elections, Chinese and Indians, especially in Perak, willingly voted for PAS.

However, in Selangor, he could not discount the negative publicity generated by Pas Selangor including forcing their values on non-Muslims.

“Their urban seats could be in jeopardy.”

Whether Selangor PAS continues to clash with their PR partners and alienate non-Muslims could depend on the party’s disciplinary committee.

Hasan, along with his one-time deputy, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, who has openly criticised the former’s policies have been hauled up before the committee for “jeopardizing the party’s image.”

Both men have responded to show-cause letters and the disciplinary committee is expected to decide on the next course of action today.

The committee could decide there is no case to answer, which would lead to status quo in the state leadership, or opt to suspend or remove Hasan as state commissioner, but this is unlikely because of his close links to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who appointed him in the first place.

The most likely outcome could be a face-saving slap on the wrist for either Hasan or for both men.

Fear of superior BN machinery caused third vote rejection

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) officials had raised concerns that even Kota Baru in the PAS stronghold state of Kelantan could fall into the hands of Barisan Nasional (BN) if local council elections were restored.

These concerns caused PR to water down its commitment to restore local council elections should the fledgling coalition take federal power.

PR officials from DAP, PAS and PKR who spoke to The Malaysian Insider confirmed the coalition's technical committee, responsible for putting together its common platform, had grappled at length with the issue amid fears that the BN machinery, which they considered far superior to that of PR’s, would grab the lion's share of local council seats.

And in doing so, it was felt that BN could cause problems even for the administration of PR-held states.

These "tactical considerations" were understood to have been brought up by PAS.

"In terms of resources, certain quarters fear that they will not be able to compete with the BN machinery and major cities within PR-controlled states," said one senior PR leader.

"One of the major concerns raised during PR's secretariat meeting on this issue is that Kota Baru will fall into BN hands," he added.

The fall of Kota Baru — the administrative capital of PAS-ruled Kelantan — into their political rivals' hands would be disastrous for the party, it was argued.

Another senior leader from PKR concurred with this tactical view, saying that in Selangor itself the pact faced various technical problems pertaining to the third vote.

"In principle I will tell you that nobody in PR disagrees with the view that the third vote should be implemented."

The senior leader explained that there was a pervasive fear that BN would have the upper hand should the third vote be restored, given their superior resources and also the fact that civil servants within local councils "are tied to the BN-led federal government".

Another problem PR is facing, said the PKR leader, is with how the municipalities are carved out.

PR-led state governments are losing out to the BN-led federal government in terms of cash and while maintaining municipalities should be done by local councils, the federal government is also pouring in money into them in a bid to woo voters.

"So our supporters on the ground feel that we often lose out to BN. While we struggle to maintain the big municipalities with our limited resources, they can easily pour in cash," said the leader.