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.