VETERAN FUNDAMENTALISTS ARE SPEAKING OUT LOUD NOW IN PAS

There are still some sane people in PAS, the Islamic party that has never waver from its struggle to set up an Islamic state until recently when the party leadership found out that throwing away the objective brings them 'luck'.

'Luck' in the sense that it has the support of members of supporters of DAP and PKR – one is Chinese-based and the other liberals in every outlook – whose supporters backed PAS in 2008 general election just to displace BN.

Now the party leadership is under pressure to expel its former deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, who is politically sane as he continues to follow the path the party was set up for.

The call to expel Nasharuddin came from not only the liberals in the party which is split between the young liberals and veteran fundamentalists, the expulsion also came from outside the party.

They fear Nasharuddin's close relationship with Umno leaders and the stand he takes on Hudud laws would undermine the good relationship the three parties enjoy under PR.

Nasharuddin is politically matured, wise and intelligent, possesses the leadership caliber, miles or kilometres away from present deputy president Mohamad Sabu or Mat Sabu.

His support in the party comprised the veteran fundamentalists and young intellectuals who stand hard on the party's original struggle and objectives.

So when the party Ulama Council chief Datuk Harun Taib announced today that the council would stand behind Nasharuddin and action should not be taken against him, Harun was actually voicing out the voice of the fundamentalists.

And given the close relationship Harun has with party president Abdul Hadi Awang and secretary-general Mustapa Ali, the public can safely assume Harun was actually voicing out the minds of the party president.

In short, the party leadership still wants Nasharuddin to be in the party because his defeat to Mat Sabu in the last party election was due to the help of 'external factors' with the aid of the young liberals in the party.

And Harun's statement on Nasharuddin has open up a new chapter in PAS – the fundamentalists are still pursuing the party's objective despite the 'drama and play' in the news about Hadi softening on the matter and DAP's Karpal Singh hardening DAP's stand.

Reading Harun's statement defending Nasharuddin, the public can now judge and safely assume that the corporation between PAS, DAP and PKR is actually very loose and can break anytime on any issues.

Going by that score, the Malays in PKR should also think wisely their positions as their Penang chief Mansor Othman has already become victim in a bigger plan charted by Lim Guan Eng and Anwar Ibrahim.

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone