afad:my side..

Analysis by JOCELINE TAN

 By the time the PAS muktamar ended, the party’s three ulama superstars
had shown that they were again in total control of the party.

THE Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammed Nizar Jamaluddin is much better
looking in person than in pictures.

He is tall, has his mother’s fair Chinese skin and speaks Cantonese with the
Chinese reporters covering the PAS muktamar in Ipoh. But it is his polished English that
sets him apart.

He is also the new star of PAS and party members have been lining up to have
their photographs taken with him.

Nizar, whom party people refer to rather quaintly as “Datuk Seri Engineer
Nizar,” now ranks among the “professionals” in the party.

The professional group has been on the rise in PAS since 1998 when the Anwar
Ibrahim sacking sent droves of well-educated Malays into PAS.

Their technocratic style and broader worldview was like fresh air blowing
into a closed room.

This group did so well in the 2007 party polls they almost eclipsed the
conservatives.

But the ascent of the professionals is about to be checked because the
three-day muktamar ended yesterday with a clear mandate for the ulama
(religious scholars) group to play a more influential role in the party’s
future direction.

“The more conservative ulama group will be the ones to watch at next year’s
party elections,” said Zulkifli Sulong, editor of the political newsletter
Siasah.

The perception is that the young Turks, including deputy president
Nasharudin Mat Isa, are a little too impetuous about taking the party forward.
They think the party is in uncharted waters and needs the guiding hand of more
experienced and conservative ulama.

“We were also dissatisfied with the way the leaders handled the issue. It
caused a lot of confusion,” said PAS Youth exco member and lawyer Abdullah
Abdul Karim from Pahang.

Members are still unhappy with Nasharudin’s role in the PAS-Umno talks
although they have not attacked him directly at the muktamar.

His mistake was going alone to meet the Umno president even though he had
the green light from the top. He has been the target of what his friends call
fitnah or slander in cyberspace and he will take time to recover.

Nasharudin is seen as part of this new school of ulama who is too modern for
the liking of some members.

At last year’s muktamar in Kota Baru, banners hung all over the Kelantan
capital had featured Nasharudin alongside Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and Datuk Seri
Hadi Awang.

This year, the banners put up in Ipoh featured only the two senior Tok Gurus.

Nasharudin is no longer seen as a potential party president.

But this muktamar was successful in soothing the misgivings of members over
a number of issues.

PAS Perak deputy chief and lawyer Asmuni Awi said the party’s top ulama
figures were able to resolve the PAS-Umno talks or muzakarah issue by
explaining that such engagement is perfectly permissible under Islam.

The grassroots also had a chance to tell the leaders that any engagement
must not extend to joining or cooperating with Umno.

“We also made our stand on Pakatan Rakatan. We will stay with the coalition
despite the problems,” said Asmuni.

Members were also assured that the party intends to be the dominant partner
or king-maker in the coalition and that their party president Prime
Ministerin-waiting.

“Many of us are not in favour of grabbing the federal government. If a party
wants to leave the Barisan, that’s fine but I am against enticing individual
MPs to jump,” said Asmuni.

Party leaders knew that they were facing an angry group of delegates when
the muktamar began on Friday. But they managed things really well, getting
their top ulama, including the highly respected Datuk Dr Haron Din to explain
things.

“They are the creme de la creme in our party and they put things into the
Islamic perspective,” said Kuala
  Lumpur delegate Dr Rayney Ali.

Members reacted well to Nik Aziz’s statement that any engagement with Umno
would be done on PAS’ own terms. He was greeted with cheers from the floor when
he said PAS leaders intend to ask Umno leaders why they had failed to implement
Islam.

Nik Aziz was ill throughout the muktamar while Dr Haron has been suffering
from heart problems for several years and Hadi has lost so much weight because
of health problems.

The three ulama superstars are not in the pink of health but they are in
total control of the party.

ANALYSIS BY JOCELINE TAN

PAS has always projected itself as a party
aspiring to power but it does not seem to be enjoying the taste of power now
that it is part of the ruling coalition in five states.

PAS flags and banners of its two famous Tok Guru have dominated parts
of Ipoh the
last few days to mark the three-day party muktamar. It was an interesting contrast to Ipoh’s Chinatown sort of image. PAS has a long history in Perak
but this is the first time the party is enjoying such a high profile in the
state capital.

Among the guests at the opening of the muktamar was Pakatan Rakyat
leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

This year, the VVIP guests sat onstage with the PAS leadership and Anwar and
his PKR president wife Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail were among them.

It was quite ironic because just a day earlier, Anwar and the Pakatan Rakyat
coalition which he leads had been severely criticised by delegates at the Youth
wing assembly.

Many in the Youth wing did not support the idea of Anwar as Prime Minister,
they saw DAP leaders as anti-Islam and they had a tonne of complaints about the
Pakatan Rakyat leadership in Selangor and Penang.

They are also angry with Perak, but Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar
Jamaluddin was spared, probably because he is the host.

But Anwar was his usual charming self although he must have known that, just
a seat away, was another Prime Minister-in-waiting, namely PAS president Datuk
Seri Hadi Awang whom PAS members see as a more worthy candidate for the job.

It looks like there are now a total of three Prime Ministers-in-waiting in
the country.

The fire and brimstone at the Youth assembly carried over to the main muktamar
as the Pakatan Rakyat continued to come under attack.

The PAS grassroots, especially, seem to be struggling with the idea of being
the ruling party. Some of them have this unrealistic notion that the Pakatan
Rakyat administration should be run ala Kelantan where politics and religion go
hand-in-glove.

They are so used to working within their own close-knit party circle that it
has been a culture shock for them to deal with the more diverse political
culture of PKR and DAP.

It is clear that PAS members want the party to be the dominant member of the
coalition so that it can determine the Islamic agenda. They want to play the
role that Umno plays in the Barisan Nasional.

Hadi encapsulated this thinking when he described the party as a “kingmaker”
in national politics.

Their opposition to Anwar as a future Prime Minister is not personal; they
simply do not believe that Anwar is interested in an Islamic government should
he come to power.

Much of the political criticism from the ground also has to do with fighting
over the spoils of war. Members feel they are not getting due respect although
they contributed to the electoral successes of PKR and DAP.

“To fight and win elections is the easy part. Managing the victory, that is
the hard part. What we are going through is new to us,” said PAS deputy
president Nasharudin Mat Isa.

The slogan for this year’s muktamar “PAS untuk semua” (PAS is
for everyone) seems like a misnomer given the “ultra tone” of the gathering so
far. The views expressed have been anything but inclusive.

PAS’ Islamic agenda may be fine for Kelantan where non-Muslims make up only
about 10% of the population.

But in mixed states like Selangor, Perak, Penang and even Kedah, PAS may find itself rejected if it pushes its hardline
policies.

Despite grassroots misgivings about Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat, a delegation
of PAS leaders and members will be at the Permatang Pauh nomination today to
show their support for the PKR leader.

The fact that the powerful Mursyidul Am Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and vice-presidents
Datuk Husam Musa and Mohamed Sabu are heading the delegation ought to send a
strong signal to the PAS grassroots about the party’s ties with the coalition.

“The political scenario is still evolving but we are committed to the
Pakatan Rakyat,” said PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar.

The muktamar is turning out to be a sort of soul-searching for the
party as it makes its way through the changed political landscape.