Hadi Hits Out At Pas Critics

by Joceline Tan

Star online

Party president put those who had tried to dilute the views of the ulama in their place, telling them there will be no compromise on the party’s Islamic struggle.

DATUK Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has lost weight – some 10kg, it seems. He is on a special diet of more vegetables, no sugary drinks, less meat and fish, and, for some strange reason, he has to control his water intake.

His old fire-and-brimstone speaking style also seems to have been replaced by a more sedate tone. It is probably doctor’s orders – too much excitement is not good for his heart.

As such, his presidential speech at the opening of the PAS muktamar yesterday was delivered in a measured tone with none of his trademark crescendos and dramatic pitches.

His admirers said his calmness and serenity in the face of the criticism levelled against him over the last few months are marks of his spirituality.

But the content of his speech was something else altogether. Hadi’s speech hit out at the critics of PAS, both inside and outside the party. It was one of his most fiery political speeches in years and a few people on the stage definitely felt the heat.

He put those who had tried to dilute the views of the ulama in their place, telling them there will be no compromise on the party’s Islamic struggle.

Hadi was out to set the record straight – the party is not detouring from the Islamic course, it is not going for the sake of power and short-term gains.

Its struggle, he said, exists because of the belief in Allah and the party’s original objectives take precedence. He did not say it out loud, but those objectives presumably involve the Islamic state.

He did not mince his words as he called on members to cleanse the party of “hypocritical elements” and the weak-spirited who have lost focus of the struggle.

He warned that coalition politics should not mean that PAS has to give up its Islamic policy, a point that was clearly aimed at those who want the party to go along with the secular politics of its Pakatan Rakyat partners.

He also rubbished talk that PAS would hook up with Umno.

In short, Hadi used the muktamar to set the party firmly back on its “leadership by the ulama” footing.

The tug-of-war between the ulama and the Erdogan groups has been going on for several years but became untenable following the Selangor mentri besar crisis.

The Erdogan group’s open backing of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the top job was in open defiance of the ulama stand.

The fiery mood from the Youth gathering carried over to the main muktamar as delegates let off steam after watching the antics of Pakatan leaders in Selangor.

Not everyone approved of the walkout staged against deputy president Mohamad Sabu when he opened the Youth muktamar on Tuesday. They felt it was disrespectful.

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad complained to some reporters that it was “destructive”.

However, Mat Sabu, as he is known, had it coming. Seen as the hero of the Erdogan group, he has been very outspoken of late, ruffling feathers in the ulama camp.

He kept up a brave front during a joint press conference with Hadi yesterday but when reporters asked Hadi about their relationship, Mat Sabu tried to end the press conference. The body language between the two was simply not there.

It looks like the ulama group has regained the upper hand after years of playing second fiddle to the Erdogans.

A great deal of it is due to the rising influence of the young Turks in the ulama group. They are well educated and they mean to take charge of the party in the years ahead.

PAS may not be in the best of shape today but its leaders have this unfailing belief that the Almighty will take care of them.

Their choice of Batu Pahat for the muktamar was a signal that they aim to replace Umno one day because this was where Umno was born.

The gathering took place under giant white tents on land belonging to an elderly supporter who was so thrilled to meet Hadi that he almost cried.

PAS is still with Pakatan but its love affair with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is over. The return to its ulama roots may yet be the signal that it is prepared to go its own way should the need arise.

Sharing Of Hardships

“Today, we see mainly oil palm plantations. Before that it was rubber and pineapple plantations. But in the old days, the cultivation of gambier had transformed Johor Baru from a virgin forest to what it is today,” Johor Baru member of Parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.

Not many of today’s generation know of the significance of the humble gambier, a tropical shrub instrumental in the development of Johor Baru.

If you were to look at the design of the Johor Baru City Council’s crest and the arches, street lamps and flower pots in Jalan Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk here, one would notice the gambier and pepper motifs. It is also a symbol of the Johor royal family.

The history of the Chinese community began in the early 1800s with the arrival of the Teochews from Swatow province, China.

In Johor, the Kangchu title was given to the Chinese headmen, who were known as the “kapitan”.

The Kangchu system was a socio-economic administration system developed by the Chinese agricultural settlers near the rivers of Johor in the 19th century. The settlers formed informal associations (similar to the kongsi of other Chinese communities) and chose a leader among themselves.

Later, other waves of immigrants arrived via Singapore and Indonesia. Most notable were the Hokkien from Fujian and the Cantonese, Hakkas and Hainanese, all of whom were eager to start a new life in Johor.

Temenggong Ibrahim, who was the ruler then, had invited Chinese settlers in Singapore, who had emigrated from China, to Johor.

The ruler issued “surat sungai” (river documents) to more than 140 headmen to start their own gambier plantations.

Today, there are no more gambier plantations in Johor.

The contribution of the Chinese community toward the development of Johor was acknowledged by the Johor royal family then, and till the present day.

Head to the "Sharing Of Hardships - Exhibition on Gambier & Pepper" which will be held at the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum at Jalan Ibrahim, Johor Bahru, from now to September 18, 2015. 

Entrance fee for adult RM5, senior citizen RM3 and student RM2.

The museum opens from 9am to 5pm daily. It closes on Monday.

Pas ulama faction backs Hadi

by Shahrum Sayuthi

KULAIJAYA: The Pas ulama (religious leaders) faction yesterday rallied their support behind embattled Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang ahead of the party’s muktamar (annual general meeting), which starts in Batu Pahat today.

Hadi, who has been heavily criticised by Pas’ Pakatan allies and members of the party’s non-ulama faction over his handling of the Selangor leadership crisis, received strong endorsement at the annual meetings of the Syura Council as well as the party’s youth and women wings, which took place in Johor Baru and Kota Tinggi yesterday.

Leading the way were members of the Syura Council, the highest decision-making body of the party, which, among others, demanded the cooperation with PKR and DAP be reviewed because of disagreements over the (Selangor leadership) crisis.

They also demanded that disciplinary action be taken against members who defied Hadi and the council.

The party’s deputy spiritual adviser, Datuk Haron Din, in his opening speech at the Syura Council meeting, called on members to support Hadi and stressed that Pas’ main strength lies in its religious leadership.

He said the attacks against Hadi and the party’s religious leaders, particularly from within the party itself, had worsened of late following the Selangor crisis.

“We were relentlessly attacked by our own, especially in social media. I was even condemned for receiving visits by ministers when warded at IJN (National Heart Institute).”

Haron reminded delegates that Pas’ struggle was meant to uphold Islamic principles and that aim superseded others, including the party’s cooperation with PKR and DAP.

He said cooperation with PKR and DAP had its boundaries, and, if broken, would necessitate its religious leaders to review the party’s position in such a cooperation.

“Once it is felt that such a cooperation has become questionable in terms of Islamic principles, the ulama must rethink our party’s position and members must support that decision.

“Everything is possible, such as in a marriage, which can end in a divorce.”

Reciting Quranic verses to stress his point, Haron said Islamic struggles, as championed by Pas, would never be successful if party members abandoned their ideals for the sake of political gains.
Syura Council acting chief Datuk Ahmad Yaakub said Hadi had done the right thing by upholding the party’s Islamic principles in the face of the Selangor crisis.

He said party members should support Hadi’s decisions, because as party president, he put the interests of Pas and Islam above all else when he decided to defy PKR and DAP by submitting more than two nominations for the menteri besar’s post, as decreed by Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

“The Syura Council praises and stands firm behind our party president (Hadi) for his steadfastness in upholding the party’s Islamic principles despite being pressured by our Pakatan partners and some of our own leaders,” said Ahmad.

PKR and DAP had insisted that Pas follow their lead by only nominating PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the MB’s post.

Members of a another faction within the Pas leadership, known to be aligned to Dr Wan Azizah’s husband, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had protested against Hadi’s decision to not toe Pakatan’s line on the issue.

Supporters of the faction, known to be led by Hadi’s deputy, Mohamad Sabu, had, over the past weeks launched a cyberwar in social media against Hadi and members of the Syura Council.

The council was the first to oppose the ouster of Selangor MB Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, but its decision at the start of the crisis, which was supported by Hadi and party spiritual adviser Datuk Nik  Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, was ignored by members of the central committee, dominated by pro-Anwar supporters, who proceeded to support PKR and DAP’s plan to nominate Dr Wan Azizah.

The Selangor leadership crisis was triggered by PKR’s “Kajang Move”, which was designed to have Anwar elected as Kajang assemblyman and subsequently taking over the MB post from Khalid.
The plan, however, was changed after Anwar’s sodomy conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeals in March, upon which Dr Wan Azizah was roped in as a replacement.

Syura Council delegates, who took to the rostrum at their meeting yesterday, repeatedly called for disciplinary action to be taken against those who opposed Hadi and the party’s religious leaders.

They also unanimously passed a number of resolutions demanding the party sanction those who opposed the authority of the party president and Syura Council and the cooperation with PKR and DAP be maintained only if it benefited the party’s struggles to uphold Islam.

- source NST online

The Scholars Have Spoken. Listen!

Star online

KULAI: The religious scholars in PAS have sent out a message to the party’s Pakatan Rakyat partners that it will leave the coalition if its tahaluf siyasi (political collaboration with them) collapses.

“If the tahaluf siyasi is tainted and its pillars are destroyed, the ulama is responsible for repairing and reviewing this cooperation.

“If it is beyond repair, that’s when our marriage collapses,” PAS deputy spiritual adviser Datuk Haron Din told delegates at the Dewan Ulama general assembly here yesterday.

He said that breaking away from the pact would be inevitable if the cooperation no longer benefited Islam.

He stressed that there was a need to repair the relationship that had now cracked because of a crisis that was “made up”, an apparent reference to the ongoing Selangor mentri besar impasse created by PKR.

Haron, who is one of the most influential voices and religious figures in PAS, added that the ulama council had the final say on the cooperation, which he said existed at the council’s advice.

Referring to attacks from within PAS against party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, Haron reminded members on the importance of being wala’ (loyal) to a leader.

He said Muslims were obligated to obey the leader for as long as the leadership was on the right path.

“Be loyal to your leader ... As long as he abides by God, we should be loyal to him,” said Haron.

The ulama leadership, which backs Hadi in the matter, has also not been spared missiles from some PAS leaders and party allies.

“We never retaliate to such attacks, we are not like that,” said Haron.

Hadi, as well as party elders in the ulama and syura councils, were severely criticised by PKR and DAP, as well as some PAS officials who supported them, when he submitted a list of prospective MBs for the Sultan of Selangor to choose from.

This was in compliance with the Ruler’s request for each party to submit more than two names to the palace following the insistence by PKR and PAS to name Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as their sole nominee to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Pas Congress 8

by Rahmah Ghazali

KULAIJAYA: The PAS Dewan Ulama has unanimously passed a resolution to take stern disciplinary action against two of its Selangor assemblymen for signing statutory declarations (SD) in support of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new Selangor Mentri Besar.

In a motion, Selangor delegate Mohd Shamsuddin Amran said the party needs to be firm against Hulu Langat assemblyman Saari Sungib and Morib assemblyman Hasnul Baharuddin for going against the party’s constitution.

"We call for a stern disciplinary action against the Hulu Klang and Morib asssemblymen who signed the SD in support of Dr Wan Azizah as the Selangor Mentri Besar without the permission and approval from the party.

"Their action was also against the decision made by the Syura council (which initially decided there was no need to remove Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as MB).

"They also challenged the party to take action against them even if it means sacking them from the party," he said.

The resolution, which was supported by Federal Territories delegate Mohd Ali Jamil, also called the disciplinary committee to investigate some party leaders who "deliberately belittle and go against the decisions made by the president and the Syura council".

The wing also passed resolutions to add a clause to the party constitution where PAS should be given the liberty to decide on its policies including implementing hudud without the interference from its allies.

It also called for the party to release books containing guidelines to tahaluf siyasi (political cooperation) for its leaders and members so PAS "is not seen as taken for a ride" by PKR and DAP.

The motion was forwarded by Perak delegate Mohd Shuhaimi Wafir and supported by Pahang delegate Mokhtar Senik

- source Star online

Pas Congress 7

by Shahrum Sayuthi

KULAIJAYA: Pas highest decision making body, the Syura Council today reiterated its support for the leadership of party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Council acting chief Datuk Ahmad Yaakub in his key note address at the opening of the council's annual general meeting here said Hadi had done the right thing in upholding the party's Islamic principles in face of the current political situation.

Making direct reference to the ongoing conflict among Pakatan coalition members and within Pas itself due to the Selangor leadership crisis, Ahmad said party members should support Hadi's decisions as he was putting the interests of the party and Islam above all else when doing so.

Ahmad said the Syura Council is still opposed to the nomination of PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the next Selamgor menteri besar due her questionable capabilities.

He added that the council even opposed the ouster of Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim from that post as he has not been proven guilty of any wrongdoing.

The council, he added was even opposed to the PKR's Kajang Move which triggered the crisis which he said was a waste of public fund due to the ensuing by-election.

"In this matter, the Syura Council praise and stand firm behind our party president (Hadi) for his steadfastness in upholding the party's Islamic principles despite being pressured by our Pakatan partners and some of our own party leaders," said Ahmad.

- source NST online