PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali today announced that the party will hold a special meeting to discuss issues which have arisen from the blog-post by spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

NONE “(The) president Abdul Hadi Awang has instructed me, through his political secretary to call for a special meeting on Wednesday at 8.30pm,” Mustafa (left in photo) told a press conference at party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

He said Hadi has considered all relevant information, including feedback from the leadership and members, as well as fixed a suitable time to ensure that as many as possible will be able to attend the meeting at the headquarters.

Mustafa’s personal assistant Khairul Anwar Matzuki, who was also at the press conference, said 47 PAS central committee members and state commissioners will attend the meeting. However only the 37 central committee members will have a vote.

“State commissioners do not have a vote,” said Mustafa, who expressed his belief that the special meeting will clear the air.

He noted, though, that the right to vote is not an issue as usually there is no voting during the such meetings. Instead, “consensus is often reached after a discussion”.

NONE Asked about the possibility of an EGM being held, he said that the matter will be discussed at the meeting.

Under the party constitution, an EGM can be called only by the president or when there is a ritten request from one-third of the central committee members or one-third of the divisions.

Last Friday, Nik Aziz had suggested that an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) be held to obtain consensus from the grassroots on certain issues which continue to haunt the party.

These include the status of leaders described as “problematic”, openly named as vice-president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, Mustafa and Selangor commissioner Hasan Ali.

‘I’m the calmest person here today’

Asked to comment on the fact that he is one of the persons named in blog-posting, Mustafa said: “I am not affected by it...I am the calmest person here today.”

Faced with a barrage of questions, Mustafa refused to reply, stressing that he was not speaking in a personal capacity at the press conference. He said he could not pre-empt events and would not talk about things that he does not know about.

photo of a younger nik aziz He told reporters to obtain clarification from Nik Aziz (left) and to wait for the outcome of the meeting “where the matter will be decided”.

Mustafa similarly refused to comment on the possibility that certain parties may have tampered with Nik Abdul Aziz’s blog or may be using it to create a rift in the party.

He said he has been informed that Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub has met with Nik Aziz, who has entrusted him with a message to be delivered to the central committee.

When asked if this means that Nik Aziz will not attend the special meeting, Mustafa replied: “I hope that he will attend.”

He rebuked reporters for bringing up the issue of ‘unity government’ talks with Umno, saying the matter had been closed after the decisions at the last PAS muktamar (general assembly).

hadi awang pc 060609 01 In a statement last night, Hadi (left) said the party crisis should be discussed through musyawarah (discussions) and not through the mass media and new media.

He said amicable discussions - which have always been the culture and guideline in PAS - should be the approach used, as stipulated in the party constitution.

“In this regard, I am asking PAS leaders and members at all levels to be patient and calm in the face of this internal conflict," he said.

These were Hadi's first remarks since the blog-post was uploaded.

'We just need a platform'

Meanwhile, Nik Aziz hoped that the special meeting this Wednesday would resolve issues on leadership in the party.

He said it did not matter if it was only a special meeting called by the party, instead of an EGM which he had proposed, because there were the same.

"What is important is a platform to convey our message to the party leadership," he said in Kota Baharu.

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