PAS' PM pick: Hashim mocks Anwar, says party has lorry-loads like him

PAS MUKTAMAR | PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin today hit back at critics who alleged the Islamist party lacks leaders capable of becoming a prime minister.

Speaking at the PAS Ulama Muktamar in Kedah today, he said the party can find many people to be the prime minister if they go by the standards of a certain country leader.

“The past couple of days, people have been teasing PAS, asking who PAS can propose to be its prime minister candidate.

“As the party kept quiet, these people said PAS is saturated, that we have no one capable of being a prime minister.

“We should ask them back, what kind of prime minister are you talking about? If you want the kind who likes to fly here and there to meet people, we have so many even in PAS. But we won’t allow this.

“That is not the type of leader we are looking for to lead the country. If you go by this yardstick, we can easily find three to four lorries full of candidates (like that),” Hashim said in his launching speech this morning.

Some 600 PAS ulama delegates are having their annual general meeting today at Maahad Darul Hadis in Alor Setar, Kedah.

While he did not mention any name, it was understood that Hashim was aiming at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had been criticised by the opposition over his frequent overseas travels for official duties.

Characteristics to be PM

Adding further, he outlined four characteristics that a leader must have to be a prime minister.

Hashim said the leader must be someone who really fears Allah, practices Islam as prescribed, lives his life preparing for the hereafter, and is always “redha” or grateful for what he has.

“We want to find this kind of a leader, not someone who goes around saying he has this much support and that people support him.

“They are supporting you for what? Is it towards fearing Allah? No. Is it to prepare for the hereafter? No. Or to do good and prevent committing sins? No.

“We want to lead people towards doing good; this is what PAS has been inculcating in our members,” he said.

Hashim also slammed those who claimed that ulama are not fit to govern a state.

He pointed to his predecessor, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who served as the Kelantan menteri besar from 1990 to 2013.

According to him, people made fun of PAS when it named Nik Aziz, an ulama, to be the state menteri besar after the party managed to wrest Kelantan from Umno.

Hashim said Umno leaders sarcastically estimated the state government would crumble in under three months.

“But after three months, going to six months, one year, and until now it has been 22 years. No problem,” he said.

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