AN UMNO leader said PAS’ culture of “obsession” with leaders is the reason why no party member had dared to compete for the top five positions.
UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said for PAS members the success of the “green wave” is due to the extraordinary “prowess” of the top five leaders in the Islamist party.
“PAS members are afraid to contradict the five leaders. They are afraid of stirring up a hornet’s nest (kacau daun) and go against the teachings of Islam,” Puad said in a statement on Facebook today (Oct 5).
“After all they blindly obey leaders who curse, are potty-mouthed, tell lies and are inconsistent.When the time comes, PAS will fall apart.”
Previously Kelantan UMNO said PAS’ decision to not contest the five top posts was expected, with its deputy information chief Noor Hariri Mohamed Noor saying he was not surprised by the decision made by the party.
He reckoned that when a decision of no contest is made in a party, the main thing is to keep the stability of the party from disunity after the election.
“The only difference is that this time the top five positions will return unopposed and it is very surprising,” he was reported as saying in a statement on Sept 30.
“This is a strange decision and a question mark for some PAS members who certainly feel their rights are being denied as if they do not want new characters to replace the existing leadership.”
On Sept 29, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan announced that the party’s top five posts, namely its president, deputy president and three vice presidents will not be contested in the party’s 69th Annual Muktamar.
Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has held the president’s post since 2002 while his deputy, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was elected in 2015.
Currently, the three vice presidents are Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, Datuk Idris Ahmad and Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah. – Oct 5, 2023
Main pic credit: Utusan
