Hadi opens fire on Bersatu, lists series of allegations behind 'divorce'

 

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has opened fire against Bersatu with a list of allegations that purportedly justified the party’s decision to divorce its Perikatan Nasional component partner.

In a statement, Hadi prefaced his allegations with verses from the Al-Quran that underscored how politics and religious propagation (dakwah) are inseparable, and touched on various forms of political collaboration and duties of an elected leader.

Hadi also described PAS’ past relations with Bersatu and others as the “loosest form” of cooperation to form a government outside of an election, referencing the “Sheraton Move”, which he claimed had followed proper procedures but was later exploited by certain individuals for personal prominence.

The Marang MP further accused Bersatu of straying from an original shared purpose focused on the unity of the ummah.

“Instead, it (Bersatu) sought to dominate the majority of Muslims together with (other) non-Muslim parties, without regard for the position of Islam as the governing force and without considering the dominance of the Malay bumiputera.

“Suddenly, Bersatu attempted to weaken PAS’ role in exploring political change and sought to make PAS appear foolish by preventing the participation of more parties, especially Malay-Muslim parties such as Berjasa, Pejuang, the Malaysian National Muslim Indian Alliance Party (Iman), Putra, as well as MIC, a non-Muslim party that is not extremist,” he claimed.

Reflecting on the 2022 general election, Hadi accused Bersatu of being “greedy” for seat allocations, and that claims were made without proper consideration of candidate quality, party machinery strength, and actual membership numbers.

“It became apparent when the campaign reached the ground that they were nowhere to be seen, resulting in PAS members carrying out voluntary work as though they were forced labour on behalf of candidates who lacked qualifications and had no machinery of their own,” said Hadi.

Bersatu infighting unacceptable

On Bersatu’s internal turmoil that culminated in the sacking of former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin, Hadi claimed that subsequent actions taken, including more dismissals, did not follow a “morally acceptable” disciplinary process.

“As a result, a large proportion of MPs who had worked actively alongside PAS and were known to PAS were removed, suspended, or expelled. Others left the party on their own.

“Taken together, their number was very large - amounting to two-thirds of the party’s members - which could weaken the strength of the PN coalition and damage its reputation,” Hadi said.

He then cited strained relations at the state level, including the turmoil in Perlis, which led to Bersatu taking over the menteri besar’s position from PAS.

“The opportunistic actions of its leaders disrupted the original struggle for the unity of the ummah.

“Therefore, PAS was obliged to take a firm stand to uphold its principled struggle,” said Hadi, who argued that his party had attempted and failed to push Bersatu, as then PN chair, to approve amendments to the coalition’s “weak” constitution.

“Ultimately, PAS was forced to bear the bitter consequences in general elections, by-elections, and state elections,” he claimed.

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‘PAS not bound by PN constitution’

Hadi argued today that under the flexible framework of its cooperation, PAS was not bound by PN’s constitution and did not need to spend time dealing with the internal problems of another party that could affect matters that should have been prioritised.

Eventually, he said the PAS syura council, scholars, and political observers were tasked with conducting self-assessment, verification, and detailed studies, with a decision accepted by the PAS central committee on Monday to break ranks with Bersatu without formally dissolving PN.

He hinted that PAS also gained new allies who had been expelled from Bersatu, crediting them as a “new source of strength” for the party.

PN chairperson Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is a PAS vice-president, previously said the coalition is not accepting any new component members.

However, Hamzah, who leads the Reset movement, cited “cooperation” with PAS for the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections. - Mkini