Pas ready to abide by members wishes to quit

HUDUD ISSUE: DAP man's call to reject the party does not sit well with its members

PAS is willing to listen to the wishes of its grassroots who want the party to quit the opposition pact, said its Dewan Ulama chief Datuk Harun Taib.

This, he said, came about after its members expressed their disappointment with the statement made by Johor DAP vice-chairman Norman Fernandez, who had urged non-Muslims not to vote for Pas.

Harun has been consistent in his support for the implementation of hudud in the country as well as his opposition to the use of the kalimah Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia-language Bible.

His firebrand approach has seen him viewed by many within Pakatan as being at odds with DAP.

Harun said Pas members at the grassroots level would be given an opportunity to convey their wishes once the 13th General Election was over.

He said even though he was "burning up" over Fernandez's statement, he advised Pas members to be patient until their mission in the general election is finished.

"We are of course sad that an issue like this comes up so close to the election date. But in these last moments, we need to continue our struggle first.

"Once the election is over, we will settle this matter. The Pas Muktamar will be held after the general election and the grassroots can convey their wishes to the party leadership. We will make a decision then, not now," he said when contacted yesterday.

He was commenting on calls by numerous factions within Pas for the party to leave Pakatan as it appeared that they were being used by DAP to further the latter's goals.

The grassroots members had expressed their displeasure with Fernandez's statement and believed that Pas was only being used to pull in Malay votes.

On Saturday, Fernandez surprised many when he reportedly asked non-Muslim voters not to vote for Pas. He was also quoted as saying that the non-Malays needed to think carefully if they want to gamble their future with Pas.

Fernandez's statement came about after Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali had maintained that Pas would continue to champion its agenda of establishing an Islamic state if the opposition won the election.

On Monday, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, in his bid to defuse the crisis between DAP and Pas over the hudud issue, had ordered party members to refrain from making uncalled for statements.

He also acknowledged that there were differences in opinion in Pakatan which was mainly on the hudud issue.