THE refrain kept recurring on the sidelines of the PAS muktamar: “I don’t know.”
Journalists covering the assembly were hungry for news of who had won the key posts, especially the deputy presidency, as the votes had been counted and tabulated by yesterday morning. But no one is telling. The results will be announced today.
Even Datuk Mustafa Ali, one of the five most influential men in PAS, pleaded ignorance.
The former vice-president, who now heads the party’s general election preparations, joked: “All I know is that the counting is over. Over here, we don’t have a bocor problem. No leaking and no phantom voters.”
Datuk Harun Taib, who is not seeking re-election as Dewan Ulama head, is challenging incumbent deputy president Nasruddin Mat Isa. Five candidates are vying to be one of the three vice-presidents and 37 are aspiring to be in the 18-seat central committee.
Nasruddin looked so tense on stage that a delegate from the floor SMSed him to senyumlah sikit (smile a bit).
His rival, though not as popular as him, is respected and has a loyal following of young ulama who have been part of his usrah (religious study group).
The VIPs having their meals in the lounge noticed Nasruddin enjoying his lunch. When teased, he said his appetite had not been affected by the contest.
Some of his supporters were seen giving each other surreptitious thumbs-ups.
Hot news is hard to suppress and it appeared that Nasruddin had survived the challenge.
For the vice-president posts, sources said first-timer Ahmad Awang has joined incumbents Datuk Husam Musa and Mohamad Sabu.
Husam’s candidature had been the least contentious among the five VP candidates because of his track record. He is credited as the right hand man of Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat for turning around the state’s finances.
Yet, he had told Nik Aziz shortly before the muktamar that he did not want to defend his VP post.
The response from the mentri besar, who is also PAS spiritual adviser, was brief and final: “Haram kalau tak bertanding.” (It’s wrong if you don’t contest.)
Famous spiritual healer Datuk Haron Din, who has been watching the deputy presidency contest, was asked why the ulama leadership had not tried to settle it via the process of syurah (or consultation).
He said the leaders did not see it as leading to a crisis, adding: “We let them go ahead because we felt it would not have a serious impact on the party.”
Conceding that this year’s contest had been the most intense he had seen in PAS, he said he did not mind who won.
He added: “If Nasruddin wins, his leadership will become clearer over the next two years. I don’t see another challenge in 2009.”
The annual PAS assemblies used to be clearly one of “us” (PAS members) and “them” (read Umno).
These days, there is an added dimension: the divide between the old guard and the younger leaders.
This was quite glaring in the debates, with some arguing in favour of the ulama; some insisting there were no differences between them and the professionals and others asking the ulama to accept what the professionals could offer.
Their differences were clearest in the way the Nasruddin-Harun contest was played out.
The results today could mark the start of some serious thinking among the top leadership about the fissures in the party.
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