The party is slowly being taken over by the moderates aligned to PKR de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim while the fundamentalists’ influence erodes as the party’s original struggles are chipped to accommodate the new political ideologies.
Despite the Ulamak Council, party spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and president Datuk seri Abdul hadi Awang rejecting Wan Azizah’s name as candidate to replace sitting Mentri Besar, the party central committee did not follow.
The policy making body of the party had instead kept Wan Azizah’s name and just added PKR deputy president Azmin Ali’s name so that the Sultan of Selangor has two names to choose from.
And the party got ‘played out’ when Azmin turned down the nomination as he had signed a declaration to support Wan Azizah as Mentri Besar and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ended up with submitting only Wan Azizah’s name.
PAS ‘mellowed behaviour’ surprised many as the Islamist party has been considered the only party in the opposition pact that could check Anwar’s Kajang Move which many see as a practice of ‘nepotism’.
The decision was in line with PKR and DAP wishes that Khalid be replaced with Wan Azizah aimed at strengthening the state’s administration given the claims that Khalid was running the state ‘on his own like a corporate man.’
The Kajang Move mooted in January aimed at just to end the feud between Khalid and Azmin had taken a twist where Azmin was out of the picture and on the drawing board was Anwar himself.
But since Anwar was convicted for sodomy, his place was taken over by his wife Wan Azizah and events followed after that threatened to pull PR apart as PAS backed Khalid against the move.
Even up to the last minute which was Sunday morning before the Islamist party central committee meeting, many expected the party leadership to continue backing Khalid, reject Wan Azizah and name someone else.
But the deicison turned out to be a ‘middle path’ which many outsiders deemed as a ‘play safe’ decision that reflected the erosion of support for the veteran fundamentalists in the party asnd the stronger emergence of moderates termed as Erdogans, who are aligned to Anwar.
The unfolding event is expected to continue where the moderates are expected to take over the party leadership in next year’s party election as they try to bring the party closer and toe the line of Anwar and the opposition pact.
The moderates had attempted to take the party leadership in the party election last year but they failed to secure majority seats in the central committee.
However, next year’s party election is expected to be their year as the veteran fundamentalists bow out gracefully given the new political landscape and new politics with a new objective
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1 comment:
I think the right caption should be -"ERDOGANS TOOK OVER PAS".
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