PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has instructed party members refusing to aid Pakatan Rakyat in the Permatang Pauh by-election to toe the party line.

 

He said the party's central leadership has decided to back PKR's candidate in the by-election and refusing to comply goes against' PAS' concept of loyalty to leaders.

 

"The central PAS has already decided to give full support to PKR's candidate in Permatang Pauh and it is compulsory to comply and not to issues statements contradicting the decision," he said in a statement today.

 

He was referring to Permatang Pauh PAS chief Omar Hassan who declared his division will not help PKR if it did not apologise for not supporting PAS' push for hudud in Kelantan.

 

Omar is aligned to the conservative faction in PAS which has caused the party to drift away from Pakatan Rakyat.

 

The conservative group has in recent months moved against PAS' progressive faction which is supportive of the opposition coalition ahead of the party's own election in June.

 

Despite the criticism against Permatang Pauh PAS' rebels, Tuan Ibrahim, who is seen as a neutral leader, said people also must be forthcoming in understanding why the division was reacting in such a way.

 

"We must remember the reaction is smoke. We need to find the source of the fire and put it out," he said.

 

Tuan Ibrahim urged the competing groups in PAS not to take swipes at each other which ultimately hurts the party's reputation.

 

"For example, making claims about PAS' future based on the outcome of the Permatang Pauh by-election is inaccurate.

 

"If that is the case, why not make the same conclusion based the good cooperation (between PAS and Pakatan) in the Rompin by-election?" he said in apparent reference to PKR's statement.

 

'Exercise restraint'

He added that PAS top leaders may not always publicly respond to the bickering at the grassroots level but it is meant to avoid tarnishing the party's reputation.

 

He said likewise, Pakatan Rakyat partners must also exercise restraint in their statements and respect each other.

 

Tuan Ibrahim also urged PAS members to take stoke from the Taman Medan Church protest incident.

 

"Ultimately, the people that get hurt are not the protesters but the good name of Islam and its followers," he said.

 

He was responding to a protest by Umno supporters last Sunday demanding the Church to remove its cross from public view.