PAS ulama and possible party chief contender Ahmad Awang has advised disgruntled PAS members against the setting up of another Islamic party, hinting they should stay and fight for the party.

He was responding to the NGO Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) who yesterday said they may form a new party in June after the PAS muktamar should the need arise.

“In my view, I wouldn’t wish for another Islamic party as even for the one that we already have, it is not easy to make it what it is today,” Ahmad ( left ) said last night.

“That’s because Malaysia is too small, even in Indonesia that is so large they want to consolidate the parties to become one voice,” he told reporters after the launch of the book Melakar Agenda.

Ahmad, a staunch supporter of Pakatan, is running against incumbent party chief Abdul Hadi Awang in the coming party leadership polls.

However, he has admitted it is an uphill battle, in what has been called a watershed battle between party conservatives and the progressive faction.

As of yesterday, he still about confirming if he would take up the challenge for presidency until he receives the official letter from the party's election committee.

'What good a splinter?'

The veteran ulama meanwhile asked what the chances of a new party surviving were.

 

“If they form a new party, it would be seen as a splinter. For splinters that grow from dissatisfaction with party leadership, how long would they stay strong?

 

“And even if they form their own party, their objectives would be the same as PAS, so they may as well remain as a NGO,” he said.

 

He said PasMa should instead carry on its role as a NGO to aid Pakatan.

 

In this respect, he praised the group for sending 1,000 volunteers to help in the Permatang Pauh by-election that saw PKR candidate Wan Azizah Wan Ismail get off to a rocky start with conservative PAS grassroots leaders the past week.

While the Permatang Pauh PAS division has finally made peace with PKR over the latter's rejection of Hadi's Private Member's Bill on hudud, certain quarters such as PAS Youth Penang are reportedly still bent on boycotting Wan Azizah's campaign.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu in a terse statement last night issued a warning to the latter group that going against the party decision to support PKR would earn them disciplinary action.