Latest news with #SyuraCouncil
Free Malaysia Today
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Technocrats seen as mere ‘accessories' in PAS, says analyst
Ilham Centre's Hisommudin Bakar said PAS's 'DNA' will not change even if a technocrat were to helm the party, as the central leadership is still subject to the Syura Council. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : An analyst expects professionals in PAS to face a tough road to be elected to the party's top leadership, as its structure stresses the importance of clerical leadership as the foundation of its struggle. Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar said PAS delegates have also consistently supported candidates who have higher Islamic education and are close to the party's ulama leadership. Hisommudin said the professionals and technocrats in PAS are perceived more as 'accessories' that complement the party, especially in terms of management, strategies and administration. 'They may be able to fill the posts of deputy president, vice-president or members of the central leadership, but not as the party's No 1,' he told FMT. Hisommudin said this does not mean that professionals have no place in PAS's top leadership, but that the trust in them to lead the party still comes with conditions. He said PAS's 'DNA' will not change if a technocrat were to helm the party, as the central leadership is still subject to the Syura Council, its highest decision-making body composed of religious scholars. 'The structure and policies of the party are still controlled by the dominant ulama institution. What might change is the party's approach or management style, but not its fundamental struggles,' he said. On Saturday, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said professionals could lead the party as long as their decisions are guided by Islamic principles, or 'syarak'. Commenting on calls to retain ulama leadership should PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang step down at the party elections in September, Tuan Ibrahim said ulama leadership has long been a tradition in the party. Hisommudin said the clash between the ulama and technocrat factions in PAS is not a new occurrence, but has become more apparent now that certain professional leaders are growing in prominence. He said pushing technocrats to the fore is not the key to PAS winning non-Malay support, but the current political narrative. 'PAS's history shows that it has been able to obtain the support of the non-Malays despite being led by the ulama faction, for example, when it worked with PKR and DAP under the Pakatan Rakyat coalition during the 2008 and 2013 general elections,' he said. However, Akademi Nusantara's Azmi Hassan said professionals must be given more room and opportunities in the PAS leadership to reflect progressive and modern Islam. He believed that the policies and decisions made by such leaders would then attract non-Muslim voters to support the party.
Free Malaysia Today
04-06-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
No need for Syura Council to vet candidates for top 2 posts, says Hashim
PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin said he was among the earliest to support the call for the party's top positions to continue being entrusted to individuals with religious backgrounds. PETALING JAYA : PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin has dismissed a call for the party's Syura Council to vet candidates for the president and deputy president's posts. Hashim said that in the current open contest system, those elected typically already have religious backgrounds, reflecting the preferences of PAS members. 'That's why it's not an issue. There's no need for the Syura Council to interfere or set a policy requiring the president and deputy to come strictly from among the ulama or religious scholars,' he told FMT. Hashim said he was among the earliest to support the call for these top positions to continue being entrusted to individuals with religious backgrounds. 'This matter isn't so crucial that the Syura Council needs to vet the candidates to ensure only religious scholars are selected. 'We leave the process as it is because members do not chase after positions in PAS,' he said, noting that there have been no individual candidate campaigns or factional clashes in the run-up to the party's elections in September. Earlier, PAS Dewan Ulama committee member Mokhtar Senik proposed that candidates for the party's top two posts be vetted by the Syura Council, PAS's highest decision-making body. He said this is to ensure that those who intend to challenge the positions currently held by Abdul Hadi Awang and Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man are qualified. Hadi and Tuan Ibrahim are both members of the Syura Council, which is chaired by Hashim. Speculation had emerged that, for the first time, the president and deputy president's posts might be contested at the upcoming party elections. FMT reported that this may happen if Hadi, who has served as president since 2002, steps down, as urged by some members, because of his health. At the same time, there are rumours that Tuan Ibrahim also intends to make way for new leadership, though there have been calls from the pro-ulama faction for him to defend the party's No 2 post. On May 22, PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah had called for the party's top leadership posts, especially those of the president and deputy president, to continue to be held by individuals with religious backgrounds to safeguard the party's Islamic foundation. 'I support that view,' Hashim said, stressing that it is important to ensure the party's policies remain rooted in religion.
Free Malaysia Today
04-06-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
PAS leader wants Syura Council to vet candidates for top 2 posts
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man have not been challenged since the 2015 party polls. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A PAS leader has proposed that candidates for the party's president and deputy president's posts be vetted by the Syura Council, PAS's highest decision-making body. PAS Dewan Ulama committee member Mokhtar Senik said this is to ensure that those who intend to challenge the positions currently held by Abdul Hadi Awang and Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man are qualified. 'If there are only two qualified candidates, then only those two should contest. Those who do not meet certain standards should be disqualified by the Syura Council,' Mokhtar said on Facebook today. Mokhtar Senik. 'The goal is to ensure the candidates for these top positions meet certain standards, because I worry that everyone thinks they are qualified.' Hadi and Tuan Ibrahim are both members of the Syura Council, which is chaired by PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin. Speculation had emerged that, for the first time, the president and deputy president's posts might be contested at the party elections in September. FMT reported that this may happen if Hadi, who has served as president since 2002, steps down, as urged by some members, because of his health. At the same time, there are rumours that Tuan Ibrahim also intends to make way for new leadership, though there have been calls from the pro-ulama faction for him to defend the party's No. 2 post. As of now, both Hadi and Tuan Ibrahim have not made any decision on defending their positions. The last time the top two posts were contested was in 2015 when Hadi defeated Ahmad Awang for the president's post, and Tuan Ibrahim ousted Mohamad Sabu for the deputy presidency. That election saw a showdown between the pro-ulama and professional factions, resulting in a mass exit of PAS leaders, including Mohamad, Khalid Samad and Dzulkefly Ahmad. They went on to form Amanah, now a component in Pakatan Harapan.
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
PAS Syura Council doesn't have to be involved in every decision, says spiritual adviser
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (left) and his deputy, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, are from the 'ulama' faction and can make most decisions without referring to the Syura Council, says the party's spiritual adviser. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and his deputy, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, need not refer to the Syura Council when making certain decisions, the party's spiritual adviser confirmed. Hashim Jasin said the top two leaders could bypass the Syura Council – the party's highest decision-making body – even when it came to issues related to Islamic laws. He said Hadi and Tuan Ibrahim were from the 'ulama' faction and were in a position to make such calls. 'However, when it comes to pertinent matters such as political pacts, like when it comes to either forming an alliance with DAP or breaking ties with them, the party's leadership would have to refer to us,' he told FMT. 'Such decisions are not left to the president alone to make. The Syura Council, which the president and his deputy also sit on, will have the final say.' Hashim was commenting on PAS vice-president Amar Abdullah's statement that there were decisions that the party's top two leaders could make without referring to the council. Amar had said this when insisting that the PAS president and deputy president must be 'religious scholars' who are able to make decisions in line with Islamic principles. PAS is expected to hold its party polls in September. It was previously reported that the election would involve a contest between the 'ulama' and 'professional' factions.
