PAS needs to stay in Pakatan Rakyat and in government in order to make a difference, the party’s Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa, argued last night.

 

Mujahid criticised PAS members who appeared to have taken a dim view to winning elections in favour of maintaining “principles”, adding that Islam as a whole has been the core struggle of PAS, not hudud.

 

“This hudud agenda is Umno’s agenda (to weaken Pakatan Rakyat). How can PAS members say that PAS’ life is for hudud? How can that be right? No way.

 

“PAS’ life is for Islam. Our struggle is to uphold (Islam) in this country - the laws and society that would go towards appeasing Allah. They haven’t read the party constitution, I know.

 

“How can we uphold (Islam) if we don’t win (elections)?” Mujahid told a forum in Kuala Lumpur last night, apparently alluding to Article 5 of the party constitution that spells out the party’s mission.

 

Mujahid was speaking at the forum on the party’s coming elections, to an audience of some 160 people.

 

Also on the panel were PAS veteran Subki Latif and Negri Sembilan PAS committee member Faiz Fadzil Noor. Mujahid and Faiz are both sons of former PAS presidents.

 

‘Pakatan can realise PAS agenda’

 

Using his own parliamentary seat as an example, Mujahid said PAS was only able to make its electoral gains in the last two general elections because of Pakatan Rakyat.

 

Parit Buntar is a seat where 40 percent of the electorate are Chinese, he said, and PAS had never won the seat before but now has held the seat for two consecutive terms, with large majorities.

 

He added that although PAS has only won one state seat in Penang, Permatang Pasir, it is still in the state government in contrast with Johor, where the party had won four seats but is in the opposition bench.

 

“I told the Johoreans not to laugh. We may have only one seat but we are in government.

 

“The local council presidents are PAS members. The zakat committee members are PAS members.

 

“In the Penang International Islamic & Technological College, I am the deputy chairperson. In Yayasan Islam, I am the deputy chairperson too, despite having only one seat.

 

“Johor (PAS) has four, but couldn’t form the government... I am saying a lot in a joking manner, but what I am trying to say?

 

“If there is a coalition, there are many things that we can get done,” the PAS central committee member said.

 

‘Turning amongst ourselves’

 

Mujahid added that with PAS’ long history and experience, the party should have been leading the Pakatan coalition.

 

He claimed that those who have narrowed PAS’ struggles to hudud and have turned against the Pakatan coalition and are instead fighting Umno’s battles, because the issue would strengthen Umno at PAS and Pakatan’s expense.

 

He also lamented that the internal conflict in PAS has never been worse than it is today, to the extent of putting labels on one another and accusing one another of being infidels.

 

“We used to call Umno infidels although that is wrong. Now, we are calling each other infidels,” Mujahid added.