Just over a week after the PAS party elections, those aligned with its vanquished progressive faction made a public appearance last night, at which they called for the demise of Umno.

Former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu ( photo ) and several other speakers at the ceramah in Kuala Lumpur said Umno must be denied victory in the next general election, regardless of what happens next.

The urging comes amid uncertainty over the Pakatan Rakyat’s future, with the fallout between two of its coalition partners, DAP and PAS, deepening.

“No matter what our next moves are, whether through NGOs or political parties, do not allow Umno (and) BN continue to rule after the next election…

“MCA is almost buried, Gerakan is in an unmarked grave, and we don’t even know where MIC has gone; only Umno is left.

“If we make the wrong move, it will give a new lease of life to Umno. There are people who want to give Umno a lifeline now,” Mohamad, who is widely known as Mat Sabu, told an audience of about 150 people.

The ceramah was organised by the group Otai Reformasi. The name of the group literally means ‘Reformasi old-timers’ and was founded in honour of the 1998 Reformasi movement.

It is headed by the suspended PAS member and Ulu Kelang assemblyperson Saari Sungib ( photo ), who told the audience that Pakatan must be strengthened and he urged the coalition members to support any such effort.

1998 the turning point for PAS

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said the 1998 Reformasi movement had put PAS in Malaysia’s mainstream politics, under the leadership of the late spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and his predecessor Fadzil Muhammad Noor.

Khalid said the 1998 was a turning point where PAS started to fight for justice for all citizens, rather than for the interests of Muslims alone, and this was continued under Nik Aziz’s leadership, with efforts to strengthen Pakatan and the “PAS for all” slogan.

However, recent events appear to have reversed this and were returning PAS to an era where it only speaks for Muslims and is incapable of making friends, he said, and this situation would only benefit Umno.

“I will stand together with all the leaders who have been wiped out in the last muktamar, to defend the vision of the late Fadzil Muhammad Noor and the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz.

“I will fight all efforts to betray this vision, with all my might, even if I am accused and labelled with all kinds of labels. This is the only vision that will save Malaysia from continuing to be oppressed by Umno and BN,” Khalid ( photo ) said.

Also speaking last night was Morib assemblyperson Hasnul Baharuddin, who was also suspended from PAS together with Saari during last year’s Selangor menteri besar crisis.

Hasnul vowed to leave the party if PAS decides to openly cooperate with Umno.

“This does not mean that I am abandoning the Islamic principles that I have held all this while. We have never sacrificed (Islam), never said that we won’t implement hudud, and it is not that we are liberal.

“What we what is to ensure that hudud can be implemented as well as possible and can be accepted by everyone, whether the Malays, the Chinese, or the Indians. There are no problems if we can implement it properly,” he said.

Among the other speakers last night were former PAS election director Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli, Kota Raja MP Siti Mariah Mahmud, Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah, former Pandamaran assemblyperson Ronnie Liu and Batu MP Chua Tian Chang.