Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz today painted PAS and its president Abdul Hadi Awang as opportunists, claiming that the latter is positioning himself to replace PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim as Pakatan Rakyat chief and prime minister-in-waiting.

NONE Nazri ( left ) said the results of PAS' weekend elections were an indication that its leaders, particularly Hadi, realised that they have a shot at taking over the leadership of the young opposition coalition.

"If he (Hadi) thinks Pakatan can capture Putrajaya, then he (will think that he) must become PM because Anwar is now in trouble," Nazri said, referring to Anwar's on-going sodomy trial and the sex video that purportedly features him.

Last weekend, PAS delegates voted heavily in favour of non- ulama leaders during the party elections, having installed a non- ulama leader in the form of Mohamad Sabu as deputy president for the first time in the party's history.

Party members also voted in non- ulama as their three vice-presidents, while 10 out of the 18 central working committee members are also from the non- ulama group.

Nazri, who is an Umno supreme council member, said the new line up of PAS leaders showed that they finally realised that there is no way they can take power without including non-Muslims and non-Malays in the equation.

NONE He said Hadi ( left ) himself was merely posturing on the issue of PAS' long-held goal of establishing an Islamic state in Malaysia, saying the latter's claim of a "welfare state" is no different from what Umno has championed all this while.

"I think Hadi feels he can be the PM, though I think he is not capable of holding such office. He is trying to convince DAP that the leopard has changed its spots.

"They (PAS) have actually changed their struggle, abandoning their aim of an Islamic state and now going for a welfare state, but Umno has been doing this (welfare state) for the past 60 years.

"Only now they realise what we have been doing is right, so you know who are the smarter Malays," he quipped.

‘PAS are power hungry'

Nazri continued lampooning PAS for what he claimed is their shifty position, saying that they have been tainted by the taste of power and the possibility of getting more power at the federal level.

"They are just like any other politician, with their greed for power. They used to say there are no fights in PAS, everything is done by consensus.

"Now that is not the case, you see their Wanita and Youth (wings), a six-corner fight for the vice-presidency... they see power, and power corrupts absolutely," he said.

The new direction taken by PAS however will bode well for the country, as it will give far less opportunity for misguided Malays and Muslims to pursue the untenable proposition of an Islamic state, Nazri said.

"If PAS remains an Islamic party, I would be worried because there are elements in the Malay-Muslim community that think PAS' push for an Islamic state is correct.

"But if they are a pseudo-Umno party, then I'm not worried because they will be just like us," he said.

Mat Sabu ‘not smart enough'

Nazri also didn't spare barbs against Mohamad Sabu, or Mat Sabu as he is better known, saying the latter is merely good at making noise and little else.

NONE Nazri said he doubts the new deputy president can handle a leadership role, and questioned Mat Sabu's intelligence.

"When you ask Mat Sabu ( right ) what his political philosophy is, he will say ‘saya serang kalau Umno' (I will attack if it is Umno). He used to attack Anwar, and now he stopped because now he is ‘bukan Umno' (not Umno).

"What kind of philosophy is this? I think his intellectual capacity is very low," Nazri said.