MUKTAMAR Yet another delegate was booed by party observers at the 60th PAS Muktamar today, this time PAS legal bureau chief Hanipa Maidin who insisted that party president Abdul Hadi Awang did not have veto power.

Hanipa ( right ), in his winding-up speech, had defended the legal bureau's Sept 9 statement which said Hadi and the syura council had overstepped their powers in the Selangor menteri besar crisis.

"What wrong is there for the syura council to refer to the legal bureau when it interprets the constitution?" said the lawyer, to  boos from observers at the party assembly.

At this, muktamar permanent chairperson Hussein Ismail asked them to calm down, to which the party delegates corrected him: "It's the observers (who booed), get them out."

However, Hussein said the observers, too,were party members and told the group to behave.

Hadi had overruled the PAS central committee on decisions concerning the Selangor crisis to be later backed by the syura council which claimed the party constitution provides the president veto powers.

Ignoring them, Hanipa said there was no wrong in implementing western methods to the interpretation of law as even the west had initially adopted its knowledge from Islam.

Past returns to haunt PAS

He also read out a muktamar document from 1983 to emphasise his point that the party president did not possess veto power.

The document, he said instituted amendments to the president's power "to create collective responsibility and to abolish the centralisation of power in one person".

"We are not taking away the syura council's power to interpret the constitution but it is just a view for guidance, it is not binding," he added.

He addressed criticism against the legal bureau for making public its views public, pointing out that the syura council has done the same.

"Would the legal bureau have been bashed if it made a public statement in support of the syura council?" he said, adding  that he had even been labelled a "lawyer from hell".

On another matter, Hanipa, who is also Sepang MP, reiterated that PAS should reject the Selangor menteri besar position even if granted by the sultan which drew boos again.

Ignoring the crowd, he continued he said that his stand was to keep PAS' promise that the position belonged to PKR and even if PAS accepted it, the state government will not receive  PKR and DAP support.

"If we take the position and do not receive support from DAP and PKR, can we have a strong menteri besar?" he asked which was greeted by shouts of “Yes’ accompanied by boos .

An annoyed Hanipa then rebutted: "Yes, what?".

"You can boo your heart out, but my argument is based on facts, if PAS accepts the position without a majority how is it going to form the government?.

He warned that this may escalate the situation in Selangor, leading to snap polls.

Today is the last day of the muktamar in Batu Pahat, where leaders respond to queries raised by delegates from the last two days.

Yesterday, delegate Sany Hamzan, representing  PAS Youth, had also made the same appeal at the muktamar, only to be  booed down by observers.

The Selangor sultan is expected to decide on the new menteri besar on Sunday and the swearing in  ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday.