As the PAS nomination period ended over the weekend, all eyes are on the race for the number two post, where the spotlight is on incumbent vice-president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who seems undecided whether he will enter the fray to contest for the deputy presidency.

nasharuddin nik aziz manek urai 110709 nasha pc Already incumbent deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa ( right ) has stated he will defend his post, while popular fiery orator and former vice-president Mohamad Sabu will also be going for broke.

Tuan Ibrahim, who is believed to have the third-highest number of nominations among the six who qualified to contest, is being seen as a possible kingmaker or a spoiler if he decides to go for the number two post or declines to contest.

PAS will hold its muktamar from June 3 to 5.

Malaysiakini has learnt that Mohamad, or better known as Mat Sabu, leads the nominations with 47, while Nasharudin has 43 and Tuan Ibrahim has 39. However, it is learnt some results from the divisions are still not in and it is understood that Tuan Ibrahim may gain another 15 nominations.

pas muktamar 130610 tuan ibrahim tuan man As the difference in the number of nominations among the three is not more than 10, Tuan Ibrahim ( left ) could be seen to be leading the pack, and the additional 15 nominations would take his nominations to over 50, according to political writer Mohd Sayuti Omar on his blog.

Besides the three, the others who qualified to contest for the deputy presidency are Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Razak, vice-president Salahuddin Ayob and former vice-president Husam Musa. However, the three are said not to be interested as they received less than 10 nominations.

Tuan Ibrahim, who is Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s nephew, may have a slight edge in the race for the deputy presidency or in determining who wins.

Participation to determine outcome

Political analysts view that if Tuan Ibrahim rejects the grassroot support to contest for the deputy presidency, his influence could determine the outcome of who will win.

The first-term vice-president is seen as hesitant to go for the post despite getting the numbers, but should he decide to contest, he could be seen as a saviour between the two factions which dominate PAS - namely the so-called Erdogans and those who are pro-unity.

Nasharudin is seen as a leader who is pro-unity owing to his past talks with Umno, while Mat Sabu appeared to have the endorsement of some leaders from the Erdogan faction.

If Tuan Ibrahim does not contest, the other candidates will be keen to court his supporters.

Of the 180 divisions in PAS, 152 have already submitted their nominations to the party headquarters before May 15. It is learnt nominations from 129 divisions have been accepted, while others had been rejected due to incomplete reports.

Should Tuan Ibrahim contest, it may severely affect Nasharudin’s chances as he (Nasharudin) is said to share the same support with the vice-president.