PAS ASSEMBLY MAY SEE PRESSURE MOUNTING TO EXPEL NASHARUDDIN

PAS assembly this week in Kota Baru, Kelantan, is expected to be a BN bashing session given the general election in around the corner and the party needs to prepare its election machinery mentally. The usual Islamic issues that the party has been playing in past general elections are expected to take a back seat as the delegates to the assembly are expected to ride the tide in raising issues played up by its partners PKR and DAP. Although the delegates may treat the assembly as a BN bashing session, some delegates may ‘stir up a pertinent issue that has been a pain in the neck’ for PKR de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim. These delegates, who are Anwar’s supporters in PAS, are expected to call on the party leadership to expel former deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, who has been critical of the party’s association with DAP and PKR. Nasharuddin sees PAS as diverting from its original objective and the political scenario now calls for Malay unity given DAP playing racial and religious issues that divide Malays and running down Islam. Nasharuddin is also aware of the division in PAS and the ‘hands outside’ dictating those members what to do aimed at trying to weakened the present leadership so that they can take over. These delegates have been planted to put pressure on the leadership to expel Nasharuddin who Anwar sees as the stumbling block to his goal of controlling PAS from outside. Given the present situation where Nasharuddin’s mind is being supported by the fundamentalists in the party that included party president Abdul Hadi Awang, secretary-general Mustapa Ali, deputy chief Syura Council Dr Harun Din and few others who are still trying to prevent the party leadership from falling to these liberals who idolized Anwar. With Nasharuddin still vocal in his stand and statements against the co-operation with DAP and PKR, Anwar sees this assembly as the only opportunity to get rid of Nasharuddin. The timing is Nasharuddin must be out of PAS before the general election so that Anwar can have his men as candidates and when the time comes for party election next year, these people can easily take over the leadership. Anwar is ambitious and selfish, whose character is known to the fundamentalists in PAS and at the present situation, these fundamentalists seem to be just playing along with Anwar just to win the general election. After the general election, PAS will probably call the shot to implement its objectives and if its partners do not agree, the Islamic party may just go its own way.