Different cars on road to Putrajaya

PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang had his sights set on Putrajaya when he opened the PAS muktamar and chose to sidestep the thorny issue of hudud and the Islamic state.

Whatever some in the party may think about Mat Sabu and his lack of religious credentials, he is able to do what Hadi cannot do — he is a good organiser, a rebel rouser and very entertaining. He has promised the delegates that the next muktamar will be in a hall in Putrajaya.

Joceline Tan, The Star

KOTA Baru is flush with political banners. The moment one steps out of the airport, one is greeted by banners welcoming those returning from the Haj or the tetamu-tetamu Allah (guests of God).

One banner shows Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat smiling like a proud grandfather. Another shows the man who Umno says will be the next Mentri Besar, Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, wearing a blazing red baju Melayu and an even bigger smile than the Tok Guru.

But banners of Nik Aziz alongside PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang dominate the landscape, especially along roads leading to Putik, the party centre where the muktamar is taking place.

The official muktamar banner usually includes the deputy president and everyone has noticed that Mohamed Sabu, better known as Mat Sabu, is missing from the banner this year and no one can quite explain why.

One possible reason is that the party is still feeling awkward about the fact that, apart from Hadi, the deputy and the three vice-presidents are all non-ulama. Hence, it is best to allow the two top ulama to shine for now.

There were a few other famous faces missing at the opening of the muktamar yesterday. Pakatan Raky­at’s “future prime minister” was not there for the second year in a row but his wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was.

DAP’s mentor figure Lim Kit Siang, a usual attendee, was also absent. He had a dental appointment and Dr Tan Seng Giaw took his place.

Hadi’s policy speech was his longest and most political since becoming PAS president. It was an election type of speech that reaffirmed that his party is committed to its partnership with Pakatan.

His Dewan Ulama chief Datuk Harun Taib had been uncompromising about the party’s stand on hudud but Hadi sort of sidestepped the issue and is taking the stand that PAS and DAP would agree to disagree on Islam and hudud for now.

Hadi and his ulama chief seem to be driving different cars on the road to Putrajaya.

He gave the assurance that if the coalition wins power, it would be a smooth and peaceful transition and there will be no victimisation of civil servants. He also dangled carrots in front of Sabah and Sarawak voters, offering to return 20% oil royalties to the two states.

His slogan of PAS ganti Umno (PAS to replace Umno) has caught on and he labelled Umno the “party of devils,” a reference to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s call to Malay­sians to vote for the devil they know.

He said the party’s Negara Berke­bajikan (welfare state) would be better than Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia policy in promoting national unity but he will have to take it beyond sloganeering if he wants to convince people out there.

The Negara Berkebajikan idea is still as hazy an idea today as when it was introduced three years ago. Even the muktamar audience seemed lukewarm to the idea. They either prefer the Islamic state concept or, like most people, they are still unsure what the new concept is really about. As the muktamar chairman noted, the weather outside was hotter than the mood in the hall.

The signs are that Mat Sabu will have to assume the role of “war general” in the election. He took centrestage at the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally held in the Kota Baru stadium in the evening.

Kota Baru is the second stop of the event which was launched in Negri Sembilan earlier this month. It is as good as an election campaign minus the candidates.

The rally is Mat Sabu’s version of the Arab Spring. Many in PAS are inspired by what is going on in Egypt and they hope the rallies will build up a momentum for regime change.

Whatever some in the party may think about Mat Sabu and his lack of religious credentials, he is able to do what Hadi cannot do — he is a good organiser, a rebel rouser and very entertaining. He has promised the delegates that the next muktamar will be in a hall in Putrajaya.

This is his big moment and the opportunity to show the party why he deserves to be their No 2. He is under a lot of pressure to deliver. He knows that the conservatives in the party are gathering their forces to push him from the No 2 spot at the party election next year.

This was very clear from the tone of the meetings at the Dewan Pemuda and Dewan Ulama a day earlier. For instance, criticism of slanted reporting by the party propaganda organ Harakah and its online sister Harakahdaily was read as a warning shot by the conservatives in the party.

The two publication bodies were accused of not giving sufficient coverage to the ulama viewpoint. The critics are basically warning people in the party not to dominate the party organ for their own interests.

They are setting the stage for the party polls next year and the talk is that the conservatives want an ulama as deputy president and also ulama figures among the three vice-presidents.

The general election is foremost on the mind of everybody in PAS but so is the party election for some of them.