Pas Congress 14

BY MARTIN CARVALHO, RAHIMY RAHIM, AND RAHMAH GHAZALI

BATU PAHAT: PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had to act independently by submitting his own Mentri Besar list to the Palace due to time constraints.

In defending Hadi, PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali said there were occasions when a leader had to make on the spot decisions.

“As far as I remember, Hadi had always referred to the PAS central committee meetings before making a decision,” he said.

However, Mustafa said there are circumstances where the party president has to make on-the- spot decisions.

He said these decisions were made in situations where there wasn’t enough time for the PAS central committee to discuss the matter.

Mustafa cited the list submitted on Sept 3 by Hadi as an example of a situation where Hadi had to take matters into his own hands.

The list named three candidates for the Mentri Besar’s post – including one from PAS.

“I already stated clearly to the media on Sept 2 that we did not have time to convene a central committee meeting,” he said.

Mustafa used an analogy of a soldier in a battlefield facing an enemy.

“When the soldier is facing an enemy who is about to shoot him, he has to make a decision on the spot on how to react against that enemy,” said Mustafa.

Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said he would never override the president, as he would consult him before any decision is made.

“Although I have the authority to sign a statement whenever the president is absent from meetings, I would still have to go through the secretary-general. Any decision does not come from me alone,” he said.

- source Star online