Harakah editor-in-chief Zulkifli Sulong ( photo ) and its managing director Hishamuddin Yahya are expected to come under fire during the PAS muktamar (annual general assembly), which begins on Friday.

According to a source, a group within the Islamic party is planning to call for their resignations and the restructuring of the official publication.

The group is said to be backed by a certain faction in the top leadership which feels that the information secretariat should have control over the editorial content.

"Those backing the motion are unhappy with how the current managers are running the show. They feel that the publication has failed to fulfill its responsibilities as a party organ," said the source, who declined to be named.

He also pointed out that this group had previously tried to oust Zulkifili and that, even if they fail to gain the support of delegates, "this will not be their last time".

He said the idea to table the motion was inspired by the PAS Federal Territory Youth wing, which had put forward a similar motion during the state-level meetings two months ago.

Controversial articles

When contacted, a Youth leader from Federal Territory confirmed that the motion is on their agenda.

"I think we are not the only state which such sentiments. We feel that of late, Harakah has failed to act as the party organ by publishing articles not in line with party principles," he said on condition of anonymity.

As an example, he cited the decision to publish an article written by Dr Farish A Noor ( photo ), which questions the role of the ulamak (Islamic scholars).

However, he refused to elaborate on the matter on the ground that the intended motion could be misconstrued by certain quarters.

Meanwhile, a former newsman-turned-party worker warned that restructuring the publication would lead to its downfall.

"It's fine if they want certain individuals to resign but restructuring is ridiculous. The only reason Harakah has survived all these years is because it is run like a company," he said.

"The paper is headed by a board of directors comprising PAS leaders to safeguard the party's interest. So everyone in the paper is answerable only to the board. But if the paper is made answerable to the party then every other leader can dictate the content. It's ridiculous!"

He said it is no secret that many feathers were ruffled by the article written by Farish but the matter was too petty to warrant a restructuring.

"A lot has happened since then. Attempts to sack Zulkifli were rejected twice by the board. And to appease those who were upset, two articles by party leaders - including information chief Dr Harun Din - were published to rebut Farish. Isn't this enough?" he asked.

'Anwar issue'

Expressing a similar view, another source said there is no need for such a drastic motion to be tabled.

"But what is more upsetting, is that there have been complaints about too much space being given to issues concerning (jailed ex-deputy premier) Anwar Ibrahim. They feel that these issues should not overshadow the party's interests," he added.

According to him, these issues have never taken precedence over party interests and PAS leaders cannot deny that highlighting news about the jailed politician has helped boost sales.

"Post-1998, after the 'Anwar issue' calmed down, sales also dwindled. But when Harakah reported about his deteriorating health, that particular issue sold out. There was even a request for a re-print, something that has not happened for a long time," he noted.

He cautioned PAS leaders against any attempts to restrict the content in Harakah as doing so would hamper sales and more importantly, "impede the party's chances of gaining support from non-members and fence sitters".

Fueled by the Anwar issue, Harakah's circulation hit a high of 350,000 a few years ago, making it one of the biggest-selling publications in the country. Since then, sales have slumped to about 200,000.