Being appointed to the PAS central committee isn’t such great news to defeated vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, who said he is now being kicked while he is down.

While some have advised him, Salahuddin said there are those who have warned him and threatened to cut off ties with him, pending his decision on the matter.

“Pity me. Before the muktamar I was slandered, now I’ve lost and am being kicked while I’m down,” he said in a Facebook posting yesterday.

However Salahuddin did not specify if those bashing him were against his appointment, or forcing him to accept it.

He and fellow defeated vice-president Mahfuz Omar have been appointed to the PAS central committee.

Olive branch from ulama?

The invitation has been viewed as an olive branch from the Ulama wing, whose ranks now dominates PAS after wiping out the progressives in this year’s 61st muktamar.

However, Salahuddin said he has yet to decide on the matter, and may only make a decision after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

He said he had been advised in the past by the former PAS president, the late Fadzil Noor, not to let other people dictate his decisions.

“The decision I will make (whether to accept or reject the appointment) will determine the life or death of my career in PAS.

“Whether my decision is right or wrong, I will be the one to bear the consequences for the rest of my life,” he said, adding that he has turned to Allah for guidance.

Salahuddin has been in PAS for 34 years, starting his political career in 1981.