Pas Congress 6

By Rahmah Ghazali

KULAIJAYA: PAS' tahaluf siyasi (political cooperation) with allies PKR and DAP is in the spotlight again, with its deputy spiritual advisor Datuk Haron Din indicating strongly that it was time the party reviewed the ties.

In his opening speech at the Dewan Ulama assembly here Wednesday, Haron said it was inevitable that PAS breaks away from the pact if the cooperation no longer benefited Islam.

However, he stressed that there was a need to repair the relationship that has been rocked by the Selangor mentri besar crisis, which he described as "made-up", in what appeared to be a reference to the impasse created by PKR.

He said the ulama had the final say on the matter as the cooperation existed based on their advice.

"If the tahaluf 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," he said.

Haron also reminded party members of the importance of wala' (loyalty) to a leader, stressing that Muslims were obliged to obey the leader as long as the leadership was on the right path.

He said this in reference to the recent attacks by some PAS leaders, PKR and DAP against PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang for submitting his own menteri besar list to the Selangor palace without consultation with his counterparts.

"Be loyal to your leader even if he is a slave. As long as he abides with God, we should be loyal to him," he said, adding that the recent crisis within the party started when some quarters refused to obey to the leader.

PAS has been blamed for defying the Pakatan's consensus when Hadi personally chose to submit his own list of candidates to the palace despite PKR and DAP's persistence with PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the sole candidate.

The list was said to include at least one candidate from PAS, reportedly state commissioner Iskandar Samad, who is also Chempaka assemblyman, although the prerogative to name the new mentri besar belonged to PKR.

The ulama leadership, which has backed Hadi's handling of the matter, was also not spared from being attacked by its own people and allies.

"We never retaliate to such attacks, that's not who we are," Haron said.

Last year, the late ulama president Datuk Harun Taib called for a review of ties with PKR and DAP over their disagreement on the implementation of hudud.

PAS, however, passed a resolution saying that it would stay in Pakatan as long as it is not deviated from its course.

- source Star online