Well-placed sources said that highly respected religious scholar Harun Din ( right ), 63, posed the major threat to 'hot favourite' Mustafa Ali ( left ), 59, for the PAS deputy president post in the party polls to be held next month.

However when contacted today, Idris Omar - who heads the committee in charge of nomination for the upcoming PAS muktamar (general assembly) - declined to confirm nor deny that Harun was one of the candidates for the post.

"I cannot make any official statement on this issue because those nominated have not made any decision whether to accept the nomination (to contest) or not," said Idris, who is also PAS deputy mursyidul am (spiritual leader).

He said the party will only know their decision next week when the central committee meets for the last time prior to the muktamar which will be held on Sept 11-14. Nomination for all party posts closed early this week.

To date the only seat that has been confirmed is the president's which, as expected, will be held by current acting president Abdul Hadi Awang, who has garnered unanimous support from all divisions.

Mustafa reluctant

Meanwhile, party sources said among the 13 leaders nominated for the deputy post included vice-president Hasan Shukri of Selangor and treasurer Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman of Kelantan.

Among these top four candidates - Mustafa, Harun, Hasan and Abdul Halim - only Mustafa is not an ulama (religious scholar).

However, the Terengganu state executive councillor's ability as a state administrator as well as his leadership qualities had prompted most of PAS divisions to nominate him.

"Sixty percent of the nominations was for Mustafa, with Harun and the other three behind him. But this does not guarantee that he will win - that is, if he chooses to contest," said a source close to the party.

It was said that Mustafa, a lawyer by training and currently PAS vice-president, was reluctant to vie for the post as this would go against PAS' policy of 'leadership by ulama' - a policy which he had strongly advocated when he headed the Youth wing in the early 1980s.

Another source close to the top leadership said the party should also seriously consider the Perlis-born Harun as No 2 since he will not only ensure that the party continues to be led by religious scholars, but will attract more votes from states beyond PAS-controlled Kelantan and Terengganu.

"He is the best candidate to continue the party's winning formula, which was once led by the late Fadzil Noor (who was from Kedah). This is in line with the party's aim to win Kedah from the ruling party," he told malaysiakini .

He also said that Harun's presence at the apex of the leadership will help balance the strong influence of party leaders from the east coast.

With religious scholar Hadi now confirmed as PAS president, electing Mustafa - who is also from Terengganu - as deputy leader may not help the party's image in projecting itself as a pan-Malaysian organisation.

"Members don't want PAS to be known as Parti Islam Se-Terengganu. Harun's presence may please members outside Kelantan and Terengganu, and this is good for the party's unity."

Acid test

Harun is no stranger to active politics. The well-known religious scholar was tipped to be Perlis menteri besar when PAS sought to wrest the state from the ruling Umno in the last elections.

However, he withdrew from contesting at the eleventh hour and this was said to have prevented the party from making any inroads into the state.

The religious scholar can post a formidable challenge to Umno should he lead the PAS campaign in Kedah in the upcoming elections, especially if Harun is cast as a possible candidate for the state's mentri besar.

The well-known spiritual healer, who runs a clinic in Selangor's Bangi, was once criticised - much to the chagrin of the Muslim community - by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a someone who earned a living by selling ' air jampi ' (blessed water).

Another observer expressed his hope that Mustafa will agree to contest as it will be an acid test for the party's 'openness' to non-ulama leaders.

"It will a fight between jawi (ulama) and rumi (non-ulama). This is the time for them to show that it is not a religious scholar-based party," he said.

He also warned that Harun's presence at the top could bode ill for the party's attempt to bridge the gap with non-Muslims.