A sales employer who was hauled to court over sex-related charges last week was not PAS Selangor's liaison secretary as claimed by an online report, said the party's state commissioner Dr Hassan Ali today.

Responding to the report by the Selangor Daily website, he said the accused Mohd Nor Izam Awalludin was actually a party activist at the divisional level.

"Contrary to the report, he was never appointed as liaison secretary. His name was among those proposed by some division leaders to hold the post. But after consideration, we decided to appoint retired police officer Ahmad Yusof Ludin," he said when contacted.

Therefore, Hassan said the allegation that he was slow to remove Mohd Nor Izam from the state line-up because he was close to him was baseless.

"That would be a wild allegation because we never appointed him in the first place," he added.

The report claimed that Hassan had only removed Mohd Nor Izam from the line-up list at the last minute when the latter's case was reported in an English daily.

On July 1, Mohd Nor Izam was charged with outraging the modesty of a salesgirl and forcing her to perform oral sex on him. He was said to have committed the offence in a lift at a shopping centre on June 17.

He has claimed trial and has since been released on a RM12,000 bail.

Plot by detractors

Meanwhile, party sources said the allegations in the website's report could have been trumped-up by those who aim to discredit Hassan's leadership.

"There are those closely connected to the old guards who are unhappy that Hassan was given another chance to lead the state. Things are going to be tough for him as those in the current state line-up are closely related to the old guards," said a Selangor politician who requested anonymity.

"Look at the deputies: Dr Shafie Abu Bakar and Dr Abdul Rani Osman. They are the two candidates proposed by the old guards to replace him! Does he expect them to cooperate with him?" he asked.

The other deputy commissioner is religious scholar and Malaysian Ulama Association chairperson, Abdul Ghani Shamsudin.

The Selangor politician said the fact that Hassan's allies with strong grassroots support - including former state liaison secretary Norman Taha -are no longer in the line-up makes things worst for him.

"He has to be extra careful in whatever decisions he is going to make. Or else he is not going to last until next year," he added.

However, Hassan expressed his confidence that the current line-up will be able to produce positive developments for the party.

"This is the best that we can come out with for the party. Their appointments are based on their ability, specialisation and respective contributions to the party," he said.

"I try to shift a little bit by bringing those people who were outside the party's political circle like (reformasi activist and former ISA detainee) Saari Sungib (who is an elected committee member) because I believe they can contribute for the betterment of the party," he added.

Not a compromise

He denied that the line-up was a compromise to please the old-guards who were not favourable to his re-appointment and also to please the party's hardliners.

He is also confident in forging a better working relationship with the state's Muslimat (women's wing) leader Wan Hasrina Wan Hassan who was among the eight state leaders who signed a memorandum rejecting Hassan's re-appointment.

In the memorandum, Hassan was said to have created disunity during the state Muslimat elections in May, when Wan Hasrina regained her post as chief by just two votes.

"The series of calmness there. It looks cordial and friendlier as compared from the last. I have to admit it was quite difficult the last time...maybe some of fault is mine... but we will forget the episode," said Hassan.

He hoped that the inclusion of Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud and Dr Halimah Ali - who are viewed as progressive Muslimat leaders- will enable him to work more closely with other leaders in the wing.

Hassan also said that his main agenda is to develop a blue-print for the state on political strategies and activities to help PAS prepare for the 2008 general election.