SCORED OWN GOAL, CHECKMATED: Hadi has no one but his HUGE EGO to blame

Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and its president Abdul Hadi Awang have both appeared to be checkmated by Umno war strategists.

Confident that he would be able to push through his private member’s bill on hudud in the last parliamentary session, the Marang MP’s bill did not make it in the last session, and even in the current parliamentary session, the bill is Item No 28 on the order paper.

This is the last item on the order paper. By now, Hadi should have realised that his bill has the least priority where Umno is concerned.

What an anticlimax this must have been for Hadi after the hudud law was passed unanimously in the Kelantan state assembly, with the full support of the opposition Umno state assemblypersons. Some tears were also shed, but now all is silence.

With the current parliamentary seating to last only two more days, it is unlikely that the bill would be tabled. Besides, Culture and Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz (photo) has already poured cold water on the bill, saying that it will require the Agong’s consent before the bill is to be discussed in the Dewan Rakyat.

Why was Hadi, the president of the Islamic party, unaware of this important requirement? Was his push for the private member’s bill therefore nothing but a shadow play? This is a question that we have to keep in mind as we watch the episode unfolding further.

What is now clear is Umno’s attitude towards PAS and its hudud laws in Kelantan. I have in fact predicted that this would happen that Hadi would be checkmated. The recent development in PAS has only confirmed that this was the strategy employed by Umno.

Split in PAS inevitable

The recent meeting in Muar, Johor shows that a split in PAS is inevitable after the 61st muktamar which ended last weekend.

Without a new vehicle, it would be impossible for the DAP to work with PAS progressives, who are exemplified in its former deputy president Mohamad Sabu.

Better known as Mat Sabu, Mohamad (photo) and his team have lost to the pro-ulama faction, led by Hadi, whose arrogant attitude had led to a number of hiccups in the cooperation between the three major component parties in Pakatan Rakyat.

In the process, the years of sacrifice by the progressives are forgotten. Unlike the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Hadi has failed to live up to the expectations of PAS members.

Since this year, the DAP has terminated its relationship with Hadi and both DAP big guns, Lim Kit Siang and Guan Eng have declared that Pakatan is “dead” for now.

What is important is that the corn must first fall on the ground and die, before a new lease of life is released.

If Mat Sabu and the progressives continue with PAS, they will unlikely be picked as candidates to contest in the coming general election. And, even if they are picked, they may have to contest against Pakatan colleagues in areas that are hard for the Islamic party to win.

Mat Sabu and the other Erdogans do not have many more scores of years to live and to waste away another five years in PAS will mean that, as the opposition front is close to taking over Putrajaya, it will be back to square one again. This had happened when the DAP pulled out from Barisan Alternatif in 2004.

Therefore, for Hadi to win back the progressives is a near-impossible task for now. After all, he was the one who was unable to hold both factions together. He was the one who had put a hedge between the good working relationship between the three component parties.

Neither can he turn to Umno now and expect Umno to be compassionate with his position. Umno leaders are more interested in their own political survival than any other priorities.

It is likely that Umno will face an inevitable further split with the formation of a new and more moderate party that tries to mimic the Umno of the early years. In my opinion, unless this new party has the support of the other BN component parties, it might as well join force with the other moderates in Pakatan to take over Putrajaya.

Meanwhile, it can be expected that Hadi may be shown some compassion, which may lead to further disappointments with Umno.

This is the political reality in Malaysian politics. Umno would never allow its rival PAS to win the grassroots support in the rural parts of the country, but when there is an opportunity to split PAS, it would do it!

Blessing in disguise

This is the blessing in disguise that I have always mentioned about in my previous writing. The split between the ulama faction and the Erdogans will make it easier for Pakatan or the new coalition to move forward.

The main focus is to remove Umno and Barisan Nasional from Putrajaya by the 60th year after Independence. As a country, we cannot continue to allow one party to remain dominant and in power. Like it or not, by now, all the vices would have crept into these organisations and rose in the rank and file.

For this very reason, there are not many good leaders left in the ruling coalition. The ‘good’ ones do not have the grassroots support because they do not control the gravy train.

The old adage remains true, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” We have to guard this nation against a regime that will hold on to power at all costs. - M'kini