NO CONFIDENCE IN HADI: Jelebu PAS leaders quit posts, leave party

Five Jelebu PAS leaders have announced that they are resigning from all their posts and leaving the party.

They said their move follows the recent developments within the Islamic party, chiefly the outcome of the party elections last week that saw the progressives faction being almost wiped-out by the rival ulama (religious scholars) camp.

"We have lost confidence and trust in the new PAS leadership," says the press statement jointly released by five top Jelebu PAS members today.

They are Jelebu Youth chief Mohd Faizal Fadli Idrus, Jelebu elections director Saiful Bahri Jaaman, Ladang Jelebu branch secretary Malan Mohamad Yusof, Geylang branch information chief Raniman A Rani and Bandar Klawang branch treasurer Omar Othman.

They five said their dissatisfaction was due to the fact that PAS has lost its identity as a party based upon Islam because the winning candidates had resorted to dirty campaigning tactics solely to achieve the goal of preventing the progressives from winning.

They added they were also disillusioned with the Islamic party's decision to pursue the motion passed at the recent muktamar to sever ties with Pakatan Rakyat ally, DAP.

Last Friday, the motion to sever ties with DAP was passed without debate at the muktamar.

The Jelebu PAS leaders maintained that DAP was a partner in 'tahaluf siyasi' (political cooperation) with PAS and a key component of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

'Betrayal to rakyat'

The decision regarding DAP has effectively put paid to the electorate's hope that the ruling BN government would be defeated at the coming 14th general election, the five said.

"This is a betrayal to the 52 percent of the rakyat who voted for Pakatan in the 13th general election," they said.

The passing of the 'sever ties' motion had prompted DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang to proclaim the death of Pakatan, saying that 'all that is left are the funeral rites'.

If PAS decides to leave Pakatan, it may result in a hung assembly in Selangor and trigger a snap election for the state if all of its assemblypersons support such a move.

"This motion from PAS has tarnished the credibility and public opinion of the party because, without the support from Pakatan, PAS would not be where it is today," the Jelebu PAS five noted. - M'kini