Delegates attending the 49th PAS Muktamar (general assembly) were shocked by the last-minute decision of religious scholar Dr Harun Din (photo) to withdraw from contesting the deputy president's post.

The respected ulama (religious scholar) decided to back out after it was announced that there would be a three-way contest for the post.

This will mean that Senator Hassan Shukri (right), a religious scholar from Selangor and Mustafa Ali, a senior state executive councillor from Terengganu, will be locked in a straight fight for the post.

The deputy president's post was vacant after Abdul Hadi Awang took over the party leadership following the demise of Fadzil Noor last year.

On principle

The excitement at the assembly started at around 12.15pm when election committee head Idris Omar announced that there was going to be a contest for the deputy presidency.

"Initially, there were 13 nominations for the post but all, except Hassan Sukri, Mustafa Ali and Dr Harun Din, withdrew before the assembly date," he said.

Harun explained he was withdrawing from the contest on the point of "principle".

"I have told my colleagues and friends in the party that I am willing to hold any post in the party on condition that there will be no contest. Now the situation has changed and I will stick to my principle.

"I am aware of my capabilities and in all humility, I hereby withdraw from running for the post," he said.

His announcement, which came as a shock to many, was greeted with shouts of Allahu-Akbar (God is Great) from the delegates.

Since Thursday, many were quietly confident that Harun will win the post unchallenged as they believed that his probable opponents - Hassan and Mustafa - will stand aside.

Harun, a former deputy dean at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia before he retired in 1995, was tipped to hold the number two post to enable him to lead PAS' aspiration to take over the northern states, particularly Kedah, where the party's influence is said to be on the rise.

Second disappointment

A delegate then sought the leadership's acceptance of the withdrawal but his question was left unanswered.

Instead, party chairperson Abu Kasim Abdullah directed all delegates to cast their votes.

The delegates were supposed to cast their votes at 10.30am but journalists covering the event were told that recent developments had forced Idris to postpone the exercise.

But not all delegates were happy with Harun's decision to back out from the contest.

"This is the second time that he has disappointed us," said one who was obviously upset with the latest development.

He was referring to the 1999 incident where the Perlis-born Harun had retracted his intention to stand as a PAS candidate in the general election that year, also at the last minute.

For the past months, speculations were aplenty as to who would be the new deputy president of the party. At one stage, the strongest candidate to have emerged was Mustapha Ali, a man known for his sound political strategies.

However, his position as the "favourite" was challenged when Harun's name suddenly cropped up recently.

One wants a contest

Last week, Mustafa successfully gathered all aspiring candidates for the post for a private meeting to avoid a contest. The meeting took place last Thursday.

A source closed to the top leadership told malaysiakini that the meeting was held in the presence of the party's top leaders, spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Abdul Hadi.

"At that meeting, the two Tuan Gurus had expressed their views that Harun Din would be the best candidate for the post. Although their feelings are not binding, many of us believe that the others will concede to their views," he said.

"Somehow, one of the aspirants had insisted on a contest for the post."

Another party source claimed that it was Hassan, a vice-president since 1988, who had insisted in contesting for the post.

However, he declined to explain the reason behind Hassan's decision. It was reported that Hassan has garnered the highest nominations from PAS divisions for the post.

"As far as I know, Mustafa was never keen in taking up the number two post. He, too, believes that Dr Harun is the better candidate for the post. But the recent turn of events has forced him to compete with Hassan," the source said.

Mustafa, a lawyer by training, is the only non-ulama candidate nominated for the post. He had openly expressed his reluctance to be the deputy president as he preferred the post to be filled by a religious scholar.