Nashrudin and Hasan: Transient rise and ultimate oblivion

One wanted to go down in history as the man who united the Malays and the Muslims by getting PAS to form an alliance with arch rivals UMNO. Nasharudin Mat Isa was also foolish enough to believe lies they told him that he would be made Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. The other was less ambitious, he only wanted to be the Mentri Besar of Selangor. And when he failed to get what he wanted, Hasan Ali turned on his party and Pakatan Rakyat coalition with acts that were likened to sabotage.

Currently the PAS MP for Bachok, Nasharudin served as the deputy president of PAS from 2005 to 2011, aligning himself with Hadi Awang, the PAS president. Obviously, this ensured his meteoric rise and for a while, those who were suspicious of him despaired for the future of PAS because of his known predilection for a marriage with UMNO until Spiritual Adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat put his foot down. In the 2011 PAS annual congress, Nasharudin was defeated by the humble Mat Sabu - a clear sign that PAS delegates did not want to have anything to do with UMNO.

Hasan Ali, the other UMNO-phile, joined PAS after leaving public service and subsequently became a vice president in 2001. He was very critical of UMNO previously and was despised by the UMNO politicians who accused him f being 'ungrateful' because it was during the time of UMNO MB Muhammad Muhammad Taib that Hasan got the opportunity to rise and become somebody. Yet, Hasan the ingrate could only backstab UMNO. Ironic that PAS too shares the same sentiments today and a very telling reflection of the snake-like qualities inherent in Hasan Ali.

How did they earn the wrath of so many?

Nasharudin, being the No. 2 and enjoying the confidence of his boss Hadi, felt that he had the mandate to lead PAS to wherever he desired. He thought that he could be the hero for the Malays and Muslims by forming an alliance between UMNO and PAS.

It has been widely reported in the Malaysian media that Nasharudin was one of the key people negotiating a deal with UMNO in 2008. Many questions have also been asked about the role of Hadi himself in the UMNO talks, but while Hadi appreciated the advantage of tying PAS to UMNO's 3-million strong grassroots base, he could not overcome his hatred for Prime Minister Najib Razak's party.

Like Nik Aziz, Hadi will never be able to forget the way UMNO betrayed PAS during their brief merger in the 70s, raping the party of its talent and then callously throwing its weakened 'corpse' to the political wolves.

This is why, while Hadi never once scolded Nasharudin in public, he did not side with him either and it led to a rout at the annual congress, with the 'moderates' swamping the conservatives in PAS. Nasharudin, an ex-academic who thought a lot of himself, lost to Mat Sabu, while Hasan Ali was dropped as the Selangor PAS commissioner.

To political pundits, what happened was more than just one faction triumphing over another, it underscored PAS' coming of age as a national party. And Hadi recognized this. PAS has evolved to become a more pragmatic Islamic party with many professionals, besides the cleric or ulamak who form the foundation stone of the party.

The majority of the ulamak are themselves moderate, and Nasharudin too has not been controversial in his religious demands. He only wanted to merge PAS with UMNO. Whether he lacked confidence in PAS' ability to grow on its own or craved for the DPM's post is now the debate raging in PAS circles.

The greater hypocrite

Hasan Ali was the greater hypocrite. Swearing his heart was with PAS, he has obviously changed lovers. And Hasan is dangerous like Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa, using religion to fuel the flames of discontent amongst PAS members and the rest of the Malay community. Nasharudin too has started on this trend, accusing PAS of being 'pelik' or strange in its Islamic ideology.

When the first 'tryst' with UMNO fell through in 2008, Hasan was said to be so upset the post of Selangor MB had slipped through his fingers that he decided nobody from Pakatan could have it either. Deranged by the loss or not, he was accused of trying to sabotage and weaken the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government led by PKR MB Khalid Ibrahim.

Hasan Ali openly criticized the Pakatan government on many occasions, broke ranks on several key issues that he was accused of stirring up with the UMNO-controlled JAIS, such as the recent raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church. As the head of the religious portfolio in Selangor, Hasan could have 'raided' the event with more subtlety and protocol but instead the raid was more like an attack aimed to offend, insult and anger the Christian community. He could have been more prudent, but he chose to make a big issue of it, and in the process tarnished the image of the Pakatan administration, while trying to portray himself as the savior of the Muslims and appeasing UMNO at the same time.

Hasan used to be the moderator of the popular Ceramah Perdana on RTM 1 and also managed a thriving consultancy dealing with motivational training, summer camps, publishing books and cassettes. He was elected a PAS central working committee member in 2009 and was the party's leader in Selangor until mid this year.

At the 2008 general elections, Hasan won the Gombak Setia state seat in Selangor. PAS went on to form a coalition government with PKR and the DAP, and Hasan was appointed the executive councilor in charge of Islamic Affairs, Malay Customs, Infrastructure and Public Amenities portfolio.

Abdul Rani has since succeeded him as the PAS state Commissioner, while his nemesis Khalid Samad was appointed the deputy commissioner, which must have been a bitter pill for him to swallow. But these decisions were made by the PAS delegates and committees, again underscoring the members' aversion to any UMNO merger.

Unfortunately, like Nasharudin, Hasan refused to accept this reality. Both men now seem to be trying to bulldoze their way through to UMNO. Obviously, they hope to take along with them as many followers as possible and wreck PAS in the process!

The final blow and the right thing to do

After trying to play down the matter and maintaining an 'elegant silence', Hadi and team have no choice but to come to grips with the matter. It is clear that neither Nasharudin, who had given an interview to the UMNO-controlled Berita Harian, and Hasan who has done the same with Utusan, are not leaving without causing the maximum trouble - just like PKR's Zul Noordin and Zahrain Hashim.

PAS leaders have now started to denounce Nasharudin and Hasan openly, something that perhaps they should have done earlier. As PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that “No one is indispensable”. PAS' powerful  secretary-general Mustafa Ali too stepped up the attacks against them, just stopping short of asking them to resign.

It looks like PAS may finally be doing the right thing and weeding out UMNO-inclined members like Hasan and Nasharudi. If they stay, they can only be potential time bombs and PAS will be betrayed from within.

As it is now, PAS has a name of its own and national support which it did not have prior to the formation of Pakatan Rakyat in 2008. PAS then was known only to the Malays and not the non-Malays but now it is doing well with its own brand of Malay and Muslim politics. It is seen as an old-fashioned but NOT extremist party while UMNO is considered to be increasingly racist  due in no small part to ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad and Perkasa's uncontrolled rantings. Recent extremist statements from top UMNO leaders including Najib have also exacerbated UMNO's image as a corrupt and elitist party.

Journey into oblivion

Both Hasan and Nasharudin have been viewed with suspicion by non-Malays as well as Pakatan colleagues. They will surely leave the party as they are being enticed by UMNO, but will definitely regret their impulsiveness. Not only will they be shunned by those outside UMNO but jealous warlords inside UMNO will try their best to pull the rug out from under them.

Most Malay political watchers expect the two men to be left alone just like former PAS deputy resident Nakhaie Ahmad, who defected to UMNO after being promised lucrative posts, but was instead appointed to the various Islamic bodies and left to freeze in political oblivion.

Hasan and Nasharudin should really consider their own limits and not think they are more than what they are. Both are actually just mediocre politicians with a mountain of faults. They are shortsighted and naïve.

As for PAS, it should stand firm - no unity with UMNO means no unity with UMNO. It will definitely be better off without backstabbers like Hasan Ali and Nasharudin Mat Isa. In fact, the point of no return has already been reached. PAS must accept that the two have already drawn their battle lines. It must now shut the door firmly in their faces. The message must be made clear down the line - there is no room for traitors in PAS.

Malaysia Chronicle