Former PAS Youth exco member Zulhazmi Shariff has taken issue with the party’s ulama syura council’s declaraltion that Hadi has final say in party matters.

Zulhazmi, who resigned from the post after he was slammed for criticizing Hadi, said that this view of the party constitution is both erroneous and "un-Islamic", as Islam stresses the concept of consultation.

A lawyer by profession, he said that saying that Article (26) (1) (a) of the PAS constitution gives the president veto power opens a can of worms.

Zulhazmi (right) said that this means that leaders of other wings and divisions in PAS would have "dictatorial power" above their committee members, who are then forced to remain loyal.

"Is this what the ulama syura council means through their interpretation? If yes, then there is no need for the concept of syura (consultation) in PAS and PAS would have contravened PAS’ Islamic policies.

"Worse still, this means PAS allows the Islamic principles which it had fought for to be breached, and that the syura ulama council which was formed to guide PAS has strayed from Islamic principles," he said in a lengthy press statement.

He also urged PAS to return to its constitution which uses "the Quran, sunnah (prophetic traditions), ijmak (consensus) and qias (using analogous examples to come to a decision)" as guidelines.

'Be loyal to your leader'

Yesterday, the ulama syura council used a hadith (sayings by the prophet) to interpret a section of the constitution to say that the president has final say on party matters.

The hadith states that one must listen and be loyal to one’s leader, even if the leader comes from a tribe of slaves.

The ulama syura council’s statement come after Abdul Hadi said that he has the right to unilaterally submit a proposal for Selangor menteri besar (MB) candidate to the palace, as the palace has asked for candidates through a letter to the presidents of Pakatan Rakyat parties.

"This means the leaders of each party has the right to sign that letter. Others do not," he said in Marang last Friday.

He added that when PAS won Kelantan in 1990, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was proposed as MB after a short discussion between the president, deputy president and secretary-general, without a central committee meeting.

 

He also said that he is not against PKR and DAP’s sole candidate Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (above) as MB because of her gender, but because he doubts the PKR president’s capability.

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