PAS former vice-president Husam Musa yesterday argued that it was acceptable for him to attend an event organised by rival party Amanah as the precedent had been set by his superiors.

"I am lucky as my president has decreed that attending an opposing party's function is allowed, especially given that he himself recently shared a stage with the Umno president," he said with a tinge of sarcasm.

"So I am confident that I have the blessings of the president and my party as I am only following his footsteps," quipped the Salor assemblyperson.

He was speaking to a thousand-strong crowd at a dinner organised by Amanah in Petaling Jaya last night. The event was attended by top Pakatan Harapan leadership including PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang.

Continuing on his jaunt, Husam said that he was confident that PAS would not sack him because the Islamic party is “just” and “good”.

"My party is a just party, (a) good (party). (PAS) will not sack me for attending this ceramah and for coming to ‘advise’ all you who are here," he joked as he spoke in his first appearance at an Amanah function.

In any case, Husam said that he will continue "advising" Malaysians to unite in ensuring the defeat of Umno-BN, and he will join Harapan leaders in their upcoming roadshow.

"This is my stand. If the PAS president can dispense advice to a stubborn Umno, then why shouldn't we advise our old friends the DAP, too?

“I shall go to Kluang tomorrow with Lim Kit Siang to ‘advice’ the rakyat to unite against the Umno-BN regime."

Husam also used the analogy of how Prophet Musa toppled the Egyptian pharaohs. He said the prophet not only 'advised' the pharaoh, but also ensured his empire's demise.

"If Musa can topple the mighty regime of the pharaoh, there is no reason the BN regime, which is not as mighty, can't be. Allah willing, we will topple them (the BN)," he said.

Crowd chant, join Amanah

Prior to Husam giving his speech, Kelantan Amanah chairperson Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah led the assembled audience in concerted chant, asking when the Salor assembly person would join Amanah.

Husam smiled and reiterated his stand that he will not join the PAS splinter party.

"I am not joining Amanah. I am PAS. Don't be upset, I have a long future with PAS still. I only pray that the party will return to the mission and vision espoused by former ‘musyidul am’ (spiritual advisor), the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat, and not destroy (what he had created)."

He lamented that it was not an easy journey for PAS to have gotten to where it was, prior to its current troubles with opposition coalition Pakatan and its less-than-amicable split with Amanah.

A vocal critic of PAS of late, Husam, like Pokok Sena parliamentarian Mahfuz Omar, has been pegged as Amanah Trojan horses in the Islamic party, waiting to pounce and destabilise the party from within.

Indeed, many viewed with surprise when both of them did not join the exodus of those who left PAS to form Amanah, considering their close ties to the splinter party's leaders and their more liberal world view.