The PAS annual muktamar last month sounded the death knell to former PAS president Datuk Fadzil Noor’s vision of the Islamist party, said his son Faiz Fadzil. He said PAS – once an inclusive party which managed to win the support and respect of Muslims and non-Muslims alike – was now beyond redemption and has become a shadow of its former self, fixated on rhetoric and removed from political realities and the needs of the people.
This, he said, could be felt by PAS members since the new, pro-ulama, pro-Hadi line-up took over through “undemocratic means”.
These included using the ulama to campaign through religious classes; slandering the progressives as being “liberal”, “anti-hudud” and “DAP agents”; having the support of the Umno-owned media; and, distributing the controversial “cai” to delegates before voting. But for all the heavy campaigning, after one month, nothing has come from the party’s much-touted new leadership, said Faiz. “It has no direction, no fresh ideas, most branches are not even working. They’re either rebelling or just lost. And Pakatan Rakyat, PAS are in limbo. No one knows exactly what the situation is now with the parties,” he told The Malaysian Insider. Disappointed over how the party his father once led has turned out, Faiz, a lawyer, is now setting his sights on the new Islamic-based party mooted by the G18 – the group of PAS leaders ousted at the elections last month. “PAS is beyond redemption. We need a new party to fill the gap that PAS has left in Pakatan Rakyat, and to save the current PAS members who have lost hope in the party. “It will be a party for voters who support Islamic principles, because we cannot count on PAS any longer to fight Umno. It will be centred on governing based on Islamic principles, but, unlike PAS, is grounded in realities.” He did not feel that leaving PAS was a betrayal of his father’s legacy, on the contrary, it was the party that was betraying its former leaders and the name of Islam, he said. For instance, he said, PAS members bandy about the Arabic term “wala” (obedience to leaders) to condemn the progressive leaders who were more critical of party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. “But did you know, during my father’s time, you would never hear the word ‘wala’ being used to refer to our leaders? Everyone could criticise him, and the onus was on him to explain his actions to members.” Faiz said the term “wala” gained popularity last year and was used to rally PAS members’ support for Hadi as he went against DAP and PKR’s decision to nominate Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the Selangor menteri besar. The phrase had been abused to elicit unquestioning obedience towards PAS leaders, and to condemn those critical of Hadi as “not wala” or acting un-Islamic, he said. “Wala must be earned, not acquired by force. But it has been misunderstood by PAS leaders to mean blind obedience to the leader. PAS members don’t realise that the wala they are practising is prohibited in Islam.” He said PAS leaders’ obsession with hudud at this stage was also misguided, as discussions about the Islamic criminal law now, with so many legal and social obstacles in the way, were of no use. Faiz said the party has fallen into Umno’s trap by harping on hudud and estranging its former allies DAP and PKR, both of which had a right to criticise the Islamist party’s ambitions, he added. “This is all Umno’s agenda, after they lost their two-thirds majority in 2008 for the first time. They found that targeting PAS would be the most successful strategy to break PR apart. “So Umno used racial sentiments and hudud, because they saw that PAS was always fighting for hudud. They spread the belief that for hudud to be achieved, the progressives must be wiped out and DAP must be cut off.” The new Islamic party would not be as idealistic nor naive as PAS was now, he said. “We will not just talk about Islamic principles, but show it. This new party will be realistic, competitive, and it will definitely fight for the rights of the people. “It will also be truly focused on taking over Putrajaya. Because there is no use being a political party based on Islam, when you have no power to do anything. You might as well just be another Muslim NGO.” However, Faiz is not interested in power and is content to take a backseat in the formation of the party, as long as the G18 leads it according to Islamic principles. – July 9, 2015. – See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pas-beyond-redemption-says-late-presidents-son#sthash.3xMv5P8M.dpuf