Hadi's unpopular son-in-law Din Ayam may be his DOWNFALL rather than savior

KUALA LUMPUR - In what critics say was a sign of premature confidence he could seize control of PAS, Zaharudin Muhammad the son-in-law of party president Hadi Awang, broke his silence to lash out at critics blaming him for several "misjudgments" that they say led to PAS' below-par performance in the recently-concluded general election.

"He's very unpopular. Even Hadi has become very unpopular after the three-corner fights during the election. You look at the way the son-in-law is talking nowadays. The speech is getting very uncouth and arrogant, there is trouble brewing for sure," a PAS insider told Malaysia Chronicle.

Zaharudin, who is also known as Din Ayam, has been blamed as being the person who influenced Hadi to renege on the tripartite Pakatan Rakyat's unspoken rule to not contest against each during the general election, where the Opposition won in terms of total votes but lost in the number of seats taken.

Din Ayam is also feared by many PAS stalwarts. They expect him to stir up the conservative faction (or the 'ulamaks') in the party to oust the liberal faction (or the 'Erdogans') such as deputy president Mat Sabu, vice presidents Salahudin Ayub, Mahfuz Omar and Husam Musa.

Unbecoming conduct and speech: Trouble brewing?

Indeed, instead of offering an olive branch or soothing ruffled feathers, Din Ayam went into attack mode against his critics.

Describing himself as the "backbone" and last line of defence against those wishful of undermining Hadi, Din Ayam questioned the motives of his critics.

"Is this an attempt to topple Abdul Hadi by the 'Mahathir PAS' the way Mahathir toppled Pak Lah? Who is the Najib PAS who will replace Abdul Hadi?" Din Ayam wrote on his Facebook page.

Din Ayam was referring to former premier Mahathir Mohamad who had helped current premier Najib Razak topple Abdullah Badawi, who was Mahathir's successor and Najib's immediate predecessor.

Din Ayam also refused to take any blame for campaigning against coalition mates during the recent GE, which had led to the Pakatan losing several seats.

He blamed Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad for the Opposition's loss of the Kota Damansara seat, saying Khalid he had failed to take into account the PAS local chapter's views on the seat.

"Who is to be blamed then for PR defeats in Sungai Acheh, Labuan, Bukit Besi and other state and parliamentary seats where PAS and PKR had overlapping claims for the same seats," said Din Ayam.

"Kota Damansara voters are well educated and informed and are better positioned to evaluate PAS or Umno candidates," he added.

PAS membership: Erdogans have the upperhand

However the chips fall in PAS, which will hold its 59th annual congress as well as party poll from November 22 to 24, long-time party watchers believe Din Ayam, and perhaps Hadi too, would be put on the defensive.

"PAS members are predominantly petty traders, the middle class and civil servants compared to Umno where the grassroots are the Felda farmers and fishing folk. So despite the public perception that PAS is a backward fundamentalist Islamist party, its membership actually has an edge over Umno. They are able to grasp and evaluate for themselves the current issues," a PAS watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.

"This is why the ulamak (religious scholars) are actually not that popular in PAS. It is the Erdogan faction that is stronger and unless the Erdogans fight among themselves, they will make further advance in the party poll later this year. Don't be surprised Hadi may even be challenged. Many PAS members were shocked to see their president campaigning and attacking certain PKR candidates in GE13, even though this could split votes and pave the way for Umno to win."

Hadi faulted for behavior during GE13 and then 'running off' after poor outcome

The PAS insider also pointed at how Hadi had kept his head down and frequently went overseas in the aftermath of GE13, the most controversial and divisive in Malaysia's history.

PAS won only 21 seats in Parliament versus PKR's 30 and DAP's 38. Umno won 88 and together with the rest of BN had racked up 133 seats to beat Pakatan for control of the federal government.

"Despite the poor performance, Hadi has not given much explanation to party members. He is always off overseas and keeps talking about the situation in Syria and Egypt," said the PAS watcher.

"But what about here in Malaysia, where PAS is languishing. Maybe at this muktamar (annual meeting), PAS members may decide the time has come for new blood at the topmost level. Hadi has not been able to show he can keep abreast or keep PAS abreast with the times, who knows they may retire him."

MAILBAG