M'sia opposition backs Hadi for PM

The Ulama wing wants Malaysia's Pan-Islamic Party (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang to be prime minister if Pakatan Rakyat comes to power.

Ulama representative Hairun Nizam said Hadi was the best candidate for the job if the coalition took over Putrajaya.

“Our president has the calibre to lead the country on the righteous path with Allah's blessing.

“We should not campaign for others to take the lead. I want to ask the delegates who is the best to lead the government if it is not Tok Guru Hadi,” he said to cries of AllahuAkbar at the 58th PAS Muktamar here yesterday.

His call runs contrary to the popular assumption that Pakatan would appoint PKR (People's Justice Party) adviser Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister if it won the 13th general election. Democtratic Action Party's Lim Kit Siang reaffirmed this stance at the Pakatan gathering in Kota Baru on Thursday.

The PAS Dewan Ulama and most of the delegates at the muktamar appeared to disagree with that position.

Hairun's speech during the debate on the presidential address was punctuated by applause from the delegates.

To cheers of approval, Hairun said: “Victory will be meaningless if we cannot rule according to Islamic law.”

For this reason, the Ulama wing pressed for Islam to be the main agenda, and “not the second or third”.

It was not right to “temporarily hide” the Islamic agenda for political expediency, Hairun said.

The wing urged the central leadership to reject those lobbying to be election candidates. “It is un-Islamic to demand or lobby to contest in elections,” Hairun said.

Without mentioning names, he added that the Dewan Ulama did not want members to be influenced by the deviant Syiah movement.

There have been allegations that PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu was associated with the movement although he had often shrugged it off as an issue created during elections.

Later, Hadi dodged questions related to him being proposed as the prime minister.

“Whoever becomes the prime minister needs the support of the party and people,” he said.

“I would rather be a khadam (servant) to the people.”

Hadi also declined to answer when asked if PAS should nominate any of its leaders as a candidate for prime minister.

PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali said the leader of the party with the most number of seats should be appointed to helm the country.