For many Pakatan Harapan supporters, the golden age of PAS was when Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat led the party during the Pakatan Rakyat days.
However, current party leaders said the reality is that the party during Nik Aziz’s time was no different than what it is now.
PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan pointed out it was under Nik Aziz’s leadership as menteri besar that Kelantan passed its first “hudud” law.
“Don’t forget, it was during Nik Aziz’s time that hudud law was passed in Kelantan in 1993.
“When Nik Aziz is no longer (alive), passed away, you say ‘Nik Aziz is good’.
“But during that time (in 1993, you say) ‘What is Nik Aziz’s hudud and all this?’,” he said during a dialogue between PAS leaders and the Chinese media in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
He was responding to a statement that before 2015, when Nik Aziz was around, the Chinese and non-Muslims were confident with the party due to the perception that it was led by “open-minded” ulama.
However, this changed after the former Kelantan menteri besar passed away and PAS later purged its “professional” faction.
Commenting on this, Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali, who was also present, said during the Pakatan period, Nik Aziz was only the PAS spiritual adviser.
“The president at the time was who? The same president (Abdul Hadi Awang).
“He (Hadi) is the executive, the spiritual adviser is only an adviser, that is a fact,” she added.
Core values unchanged
Takiyuddin said the change in perception towards PAS was merely politics and not an issue about the party’s core values, which remain unchanged.
“When we were together in Pakatan, suddenly we were all good. But when we left Pakatan... we suddenly became bad boys.”
He also dismissed claims that PAS was out to curtail non-Muslim rights, saying non-Muslims in Kelantan could still drink alcohol and eat pork, as an example.
“There’s even bak kut teh (in Kelantan). It is not illegal. I can belanja (treat you), if you want to eat, it’s on me. But I won’t eat,” he told the Chinese journalists.
Likewise, vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the party had not abandoned the “PAS for all” principle it espoused during the Pakatan days.
“It’s a good suggestion for us to bring it (the principle) forward more frequently,” he said.
Halimah added that the Islamist party would “walk the talk” on “PAS for all”.
On a related note, Takiyuddin said the party was reviewing whether to give non-Muslims in the PAS supporters’ wing full membership in the party.
Full membership would mean non-Muslims could hold positions and also vote in party polls. - Mkini
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