The central committee of PAS central committee and PAS Selangor need to make a joint decision before issuing any statement about the membership of PAS progressive faction members who want to form a new Islamic party, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said today.

On Monday, PAS Selangor secretary Mohd Khairuddin Othman said those from PAS who are forming Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB) have automatically ceased to be members of PAS.

However, this seemed to contradict the PAS central committee who maintained that one's PAS membership is only void if the member  joins another political party.

While GHB was unveiled as a new platform for the so-called PAS progressives, the group has refused to confirm if it will eventually become a political party.

Khalid ( photo ), part of GHB, said the contradictory statements were confusing the public.

"Have a meeting, write us a letter, tell us what PAS really wants. If right now, they say no need to do anything because we haven't formed a new party yet, then that means no need to do anything.

"Don't need to release statements that contradict each other in the end. Just embarrassing. Have a meeting first. Make a joint decision and then release a statement," he told Malaysiakini.

'Ulama doctrine'

Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin added that Mohd Khairuddin does not have the authority to talk about voiding of membership because that was a matter to be decided by the PAS central committee.

"I think to void membership, it is not Khairuddin who needs to talk about it,” he said.

Khalid also responded to head of the PAS ulama council Dr Mahfodz Mohamad who reminded the breakaway PAS progressives not to forget the support they received from PAS during past general elections.

A former PAS central committee member, Khalid had said Mahfodz should not bring this up because the progressives had also made their own contributions.

Hulu Kelang ADUN Saari Sungib agreed with Khalid, saying that PAS members were trapped in the 'ulama is always right' doctrine when making decisions and statements.

"We (PAS members) are trapped under a ulama doctrine where it seems under the ulama leadership, everything is right," he said.

Meanwhile, PAS central information chief Nasrudin Hassan called the actions of GHB a 'betrayal to the party'.

"While they are still members of PAS, they are doing things to ruin PAS from the inside," he lamented.

'Their Plan B'

Not only that, he claimed that GHB had always intended to use PAS as their political stepping stone but now that they have failed, they are moving on to their 'Plan B'.

"I am confident this group had always planned this since the first day they joined PAS. This is their Plan B after they failed to take over PAS with their agenda," he said.

PAS ulama council information chief Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali ( photo ) also expressed displeasure over the formation of GHB.

He compared the new Islamic party that is led by Mohammad Sabu and other former PAS leaders to 'whispers of the Devil'.

He urged all PAS members to remain steadfast with PAS and not be fooled by the promises of any successes by GHB.

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