Hadi has experience to be opposition leader, says PAS leader

 

Abdul Hadi Awang led the opposition from 2002 to 2004 and also served as Terengganu menteri besar, says PAS central committee member Zuhdi Marzuki.

PETALING JAYA: A PAS leader says party president Abdul Hadi Awang deserves to be the opposition leader in the Dewan Rakyat as he has experience leading the bloc from 2002 to 2004.

Dismissing an analyst’s view that Hadi lacked the “acumen” to be the leader of the opposition, PAS central committee member Zuhdi Marzuki said Hadi had also served as Terengganu menteri besar from 1999 to 2004.

Nonetheless, Zuhdi said, the man for the post will be decided by Perikatan Nasional’s leadership, adding that both Hadi and PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin are qualified to lead the opposition.

“Muhyiddin is a former prime minister and Hadi used to be a menteri besar. So the question of who is more deserving of the post doesn’t arise,” he told FMT.

He noted that conventionally, the coalition leader will be chosen for the post. However, he pointed out that Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob had also been the opposition leader from 2019 to 2020, though he was not the Barisan Nasional chairman.

“I’m confident PN can resolve the matter well,” Zuhdi said.

Meanwhile, PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said PN had decided who would be opposition leader a few days ago, adding that it was a non-issue now.

PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin confirmed this, saying an announcement will be made when the time is right.

Two days ago, two analysts said Muhyiddin was more suited to be the opposition leader, despite PAS winning more seats in the general election.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Hadi did not have the “acumen” to be the leader of the opposition, while James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said Hadi hardly did any work as special envoy to the Middle East during Ismail’s administration. - FMT