A PAS leader has cautioned against elevating Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar to the position of Perikatan Nasional chairperson, warning that the move could cost the Islamist party dozens of parliamentary seats.
In a social media post yesterday, Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad, who is also the son-in-law of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, said internal data and analyses suggested the party could lose as many as 37 parliamentary seats if Samsuri were to replace Muhyiddin Yassin as PN chairperson at this stage.
While he did not disclose details, he said the projection was based on three scenarios and conditions that he could not state publicly.
Zaharudin (above) added that the risks were not being sufficiently appreciated amid growing enthusiasm within certain quarters to see PAS, or specifically Samsuri, who is also PAS vice-president, take over the coalition’s leadership.
"Because I cannot disclose the data and realities, I can therefore conclude that if Samsuri becomes PN chairperson to replace Muhyiddin now, I am deeply concerned, based on the data held by myself and my friends, that PAS will lose 37 parliamentary seats, under three scenarios and conditions that will occur.
"I cannot mention those scenarios openly.
“I am worried that friends are excited about elevating PAS, or more specifically Dr Sam (Samsuri), as PN chairperson, without realising that it is not good for PAS and Malaysia," he said.
Zaharudin stressed that he would respect any decision made formally through the party’s top leadership structures, including the PAS central committee and the syura council.
However, he warned against decisions being driven by a small inner circle, with party meetings reduced to mere briefings rather than platforms for genuine debate.
“If the decision is made by only a handful, and meetings merely serve to inform rather than deliberate, then it is not blessed,” he said, drawing a veiled comparison to what he described as the “modus operandi” during a previous period of leadership that he referred to as “jebon”, or rogue.
He said his remarks were intended as a hint rather than a full disclosure, citing constraints on revealing sensitive internal data.
GE13: A parallel example
Zaharudin argued that political decisions driven by emotion, enthusiasm or internal pressure can backfire if they ignore hard data and electoral realities.
He said that what supporters desire most is not always what is strategically sound, warning that “the enemy can slip in through what we like”.
He then applied the same logic to the current debate over the PN chairpersonship, cautioning that elevating a leader simply because they are popular within PAS, without proper deliberation and data-driven assessment, could harm both the party and the country.
To illustrate this, he cited PAS’ decision during the 13th general election to contest seats en bloc in Malay-majority constituencies classified as K5 and K6.
"During GE13 in 2018, DAP’s large victory was not solely because the people rejected BN, but also because PAS entered en bloc, including in K5 and K6 constituencies.
"K5 and K6 are constituencies where Malay voters make up 50 percent to 70 percent. The strategy was to allow MCA or MIC to face DAP, so that MCA had a chance of winning, as Malay votes would go to MCA or MIC.
"If PAS entered, it would certainly help DAP defeat MCA or MIC because Malay votes would go to PAS, while non-Malay votes would go to DAP in greater numbers than to MCA.
“As a result, DAP would win, and this was proven in GE13. Based on the data I have, around 16 DAP parliamentary seats were won because of this factor," Zaharudin said.
Drawing on his experience in party data and strategic analysis, Zaharudin said such constituencies had long been treated as off-limits, but that this unwritten rule was abandoned despite warnings.
While local party machinery welcomed the chance to contest, he argued the overall impact was negative and benefited political opponents.
He attributed this strategy to one “Mr D” within the party, and stopped short of naming the person.
"What puzzles me is this: Mr D, whom I am confident knows this taboo, why did he go all out to push PAS to contest as many seats as possible regardless of the K-level of the constituency concerned?" he asked.
Tuan Ibrahim for PN chair and PM
In a post today, Zaharudin said that if PAS must decide who should lead PN, one of the most deserving candidates is the party’s deputy president, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, to become PN chairperson and, should PAS win nationally, subsequently prime minister.
Zaharudin then listed three reasons to support his choice.
"In terms of party ranking, he is the deputy president. In terms of experience, he has previously served in the cabinet as the environment and water minister.
"He is an ulama. Although this comes third in the list, this third condition is the most important - he must be an ulama, or more precisely, a faqih (expert in Islamic law), because this requirement is a ruling agreed upon by scholarly consensus across the madhhab (schools of thought)," he added.
Samsuri nominated?
Bersatu supreme council member Rahim Thamby Chik yesterday claimed that PAS has nominated Samsuri as the next PN chairperson.
Taking to Facebook, Rahim said the candidacy was among the issues discussed during his party’s supreme council meeting on Jan 12.
However, Rahim had since amended the social media post to exclude all details about what Bersatu leaders discussed last night, but it was still visible on Facebook’s “edit history”.
Tuan Ibrahim, meanwhile, dismissed Rahim's statement as a "rumour" when contacted by Malaysiakini.
“That is only a rumour. The PN supreme council has not even held a meeting (on this issue). It will only be decided in the PN meeting,” he said.
Asked if PAS has decided on its candidate, the Kubang Kerian MP replied: “Not yet.”
Rahim’s claim also contradicted what Muhyiddin told the media when asked if he had received any names from PAS on the party’s candidate for the PN chairperson’s post.
Muhyiddin stepped down as PN chairperson on Dec 30 following a crisis in the Perlis government, which saw relations between PAS and Bersatu become increasingly tense.
Speculations have since arisen over his successor, with PAS staking claims to the post without naming the party’s candidate. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.