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SHAH ALAM – The 69th PAS muktamar ended with the Islamist party more determined than ever to push forward with the aim of seizing more states and parliamentary seats if a snap general election is called.
Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has urged members to be prepared for a snap election, which he believes could be called anytime soon.
PAS is currently riding high on its “green wave” phenomena, having won the most number of parliamentary seats in the last election (43) and 208 state seats, or 46.8% of the total number of state seats in the country.
Tuan Ibrahim said that based on the momentum it has achieved, which he branded as the “people’s wave” and not the “green wave”, there are signs that PAS, along with its allies in Perikatan Nasional (PN), are making inroads in their rivals’ strongholds.
The party also made history when it seized seven out of the 11 PN state seats in Penang in the last state election, the highest number they have ever attained (in Penang).
Former Penang PAS Youth head Muhammad Fawwaz Mat Jan caused the greatest upset of the 15th general election last year when he defeated incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in Penang.
Nurul Izzah is the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Fawwaz, in addressing the 1,800 delegates, singled out DAP as the main obstacle in the party’s quest for an Islamist-based nation due to the latter’s secularism struggle.
He said that elected representatives who do not understand or respect the teachings of Islam can be seen as a threat because they are legislators in their own right.
“They may enact laws which are secular or liberal rather than Islamist.”
PAS also showcased the four states under its rule now – Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu and the leadership of its four leaders – Mohd Shukri Ramli (Perlis), Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (Kedah), Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (Terengganu) and Datuk Panglima Perang Mohd Nassuruddin Daud, who is the Kelantan menteri besar.
Shukri and Nassuruddin are from the ulama group whereas Sanusi and Samsuri are seen as more technocrats than clerics.
This balance is expected to galvanise the four states in the search of better investments and the prospects of developing the four states seen as among the poorest in the peninsula here, while not neglecting their religious obligations.
Shukri, in his maiden ceramah, told the congregation that the states under PAS want to reduce its dependence on federal aid.
The muktamar also ended with PAS now rejecting any overtures for it to work with the Anwar-led Madani unity government, while many of the delegates also aimed their criticism at DAP – a party it once regarded as an ally.
PAS will once again attempt to balance its tough religion-driven policies with more subtle moderate ones such as the move by Samsuri, who was photographed on a boat owned by tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, while out seeking to bring development to his state.
The trick for the party now would be to find the balance between moderates and hardliners, as it strives to make more headway into the other states in the country. – The Vibes, October 23, 2023
