The PAS syura council admitted responsibility today to omitting the names of PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her deputy Azmin Ali from the party's list of nominees for Selangor menteri besar submitted to the palace on Wednesday.

The move effectively overruled the PAS central committee which on Aug 17 decided to endorse Wan Azizah and Azmin as possible candidates for the state's top job.

"Yes, it is right. The syura council decided on the (new) names," its secretary Nik Muhammad Zawawi Nik Salleh ( left ) told Malaysiakini .

He reiterated that the council, comprising purely of clerics, is the most powerful body in PAS and has the power to overturn the party's central committee's decisions

"The council is the highest body (in PAS)," Nik Muhammad said.

Yesterday, it was revealed that PAS had submitted three names to the state palace for consideration as the next menteri besar, all from the Islamic party.

This is despite PAS' repeated insistence that it had no ambition to grab the menteri besar post from PKR.

The three are PAS state executive councillors Iskandar Ab Samad, Sallehen Mukhyi and Ahmad Yunus Hairi.

However, a new list was submitted just hours later, comprising two PKR assemblypersons and a PAS assemblyperson and this list too omitted the names of Wan Azizah and Azmin.

Intervention by clerics

Malaysiakini learnt that the names are that of Idris Ahmad and Yaakob Sapari of PKR and Iskandar of PAS.

Nik Muhammad refused to confirm if the syura council was responsible for both lists or for just one.

"I cannot reveal anything about names as it concerns the palace," he said.

However, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali ( right ) confirmed, according to an Utusan Malaysia report today, that the second list came from the syura council.

However, Mustafa, who is not a member of the syura council, declined to elaborate, saying he did not want to be seen as interfering in the affairs of the party's highest-decision making body.

The move of the PAS syura council to intervene in the Selangor crisis has left the other leaders of the party in the dark.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said today he had "no knowledge" about the new names submitted to the palace and instead referred to the central committee's decision which endorsed Wan Azizah and Azmin.

According Article 9(1)(c) of the PAS constitution, the council is empowered to take "any necessary measures" to safeguard the constitution, policies and rules in the party's activities, movement and administration.

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