SUCH is the view of PAS vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Amar Abdullah who feels strongly that the two top posts in PAS – president and deputy president – should be entrusted to party leaders with religious education background.
Alluding to the on-going leadership selection as well as succession planning process in PAS, the former Kelantan deputy menteri besar highlighted the need to ensure the continuity of Islamic struggle within the party.
“We’re scaling and have almost reaching the peak. With 43 parliamentary seats, more than 100 state assembly seats and controlling four states, any change in leadership will have a major impact on the party’s future,” PAS mouthpiece HarakahDaily cited Amar who was a panellist of the Sisi Pandang talk show held in Kota Bharu.
Going by the argument of the Kelantan State Assembly speaker, there is obviously little hope for both the Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and his Kedah counterpart Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor – both of whom are deemed “young generation technocrats” – to fill the two top posts.
Moreover, Amar who holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Theological Studies from the University of Birmingham, UK has lobbied delegates to make “a wise choices for the sake of the continuity of the Islamic movement which has been the backbone of PAS since its inception”.
Specifically, he stressed that adequate Islamic syariah knowledge is essential for the party’s two topmost leaders.
“The president and deputy president must be individuals who are capable of making accurate and immediate decisions based on syariah principles. We cannot wait for the Shura Council alone on urgent issues,” justified the 66-year-old politician.
Amar further used the analogy of the corporate world to illustrate the need for Islamic knowledge expertise in PAS’ leadership.
“If a company CEO needs to be skilled in business, then the president of an Islamist party must be well-equipped with religious knowledge. This is important to lead the Islamic movement properly,” he asserted.
Nevertheless, Amar made it clear that his statement us not intended to reject the role of party members who do not possess a background in religious education.
“I have always been consistent with this stance. The leadership of the ulama is important to ensure that PAS continues to be on the Islamic path,” he argued.
“Despite not having experience in governing, Tok Guru Nik Aziz (the late PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat) has brought about major changes in Kelantan for more than two decades.”
On this note, he attributed PAS’s success today, including the victory of 43 parliamentary seats, to the ulama leadership under the tutelage of current PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang. – May 22, 2025
