PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang remains highly relevant both nationally and internationally and has given no indication of stepping down, his deputy Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said on Friday.
Tuan Ibrahim insisted there was no succession plan in motion ahead of the party's 71st annual congress (Muktamar), dismissing reports of internal rivalry. “I’ve accompanied Tok Guru in many meetings, and not once has he spoken of stepping down. It’s all speculation,” he told reporters after delivering a religious lecture at Medan Ilmu.
“Tok Guru is still relevant. People say he is frail, but we judge leadership by intellect and insight, not physique. Just look at Tun Mahathir—he led until well into his 90s,” he added.
Tuan Ibrahim further argued that Abdul Hadi continues to play a pivotal role in global Islamic political discourse. “In the Muslim world, he’s among the foremost political figures. Islamic movements across the globe still seek his views,” he said.
He also rejected any suggestion of power struggles within PAS ahead of the September congress in Kedah, asserting that all positions are open to contestation but are not actively campaigned for.
“In PAS, there is no culture of campaigning for positions. Those who do usually lose. We’re open to contests for any role—president, deputy or vice—but leadership is not something we scramble over,” he explained.
Tuan Ibrahim also responded sharply to recent comments by Parti Amanah Negara Youth Vice Chief Mohd Zulhazmi Hassan, who proposed PAS figures Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah as potential replacements for Hadi.
“He used to be a PAS member, but now he’s in Amanah. He should focus on commenting on his own party, not proposing names for another,” he said.
PAS Calls On Anwar To Rest
Separately, Tuan Ibrahim called for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to step aside temporarily to allow for an independent and credible investigation into the legal cases involving him.
“With the ongoing court matters, I suggest the Prime Minister either resign or be temporarily relieved of duty to allow an open investigation. You cannot expect investigators to act freely when the subject holds high office,” he said.
“This is not about guilt or innocence. It’s about upholding public confidence and administrative integrity. Investigations must not only be fair but must be seen to be fair,” he added.
Tuan Ibrahim was referring to the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s recent dismissal of Anwar’s bid to refer eight legal questions to the Federal Court in a civil suit filed by his former aide, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, over an alleged 2018 sexual assault.
The court ruled that no substantial constitutional question had been raised and fixed 16 June for trial. Anwar has described the suit as an abuse of legal process aimed at undermining the executive branch and breaching the separation of powers. - June 13, 2025
