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PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang remains the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to the party’s direction, including its position within Perikatan Nasional (PN), according to political analyst Prof James Chin.
Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, said this was simply how PAS operates, with Abdul Hadi retaining the final say despite Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar’s position as PN chairman.
Ahmad Samsuri is currently one of the three PAS vice-president.
“Abdul Hadi has all the final say. Ahmad Samsuri can say whatever he wants, but Hadi has the final say,” Chin told TRP.
He was commenting on Abdul Hadi’s recent assertion that Bersatu’s membership in PN was automatically revoked following its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement that the party would form a new coalition.
Abdul Hadi, who is also Marang MP, said the move was in accordance with PN’s constitution and that the coalition did not need to issue a formal announcement on the matter. He made the remarks last Friday.
However, Ahmad Samsuri subsequently clarified that Bersatu remained a member of PN as of 9 August.
“Although Bersatu’s position in PN is somewhat unique, there have been reports that several of its MPs have lodged complaints with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) questioning the legitimacy of the party’s leadership.
“Therefore, we also want to see the extent to which that legitimacy is being questioned by ROS. For now, they remain members of PN,” he was quoted as saying by the NST.
Ahmad Samsuri added that PN wanted to see the outcome of the RoS process before making any decision, reiterating that Bersatu remained part of the coalition for now.
On Bersatu’s position in PN, Chin said the process of removing the party would ultimately require the coalition to follow its formal procedures.
“The formal process is actually very simple. The coalition just needs to call a presidential meeting with all the party heads and hold a vote on whether to sack Bersatu. That is all that is needed.
“And with PAS in control of PN, there is no way Bersatu is winning this argument,” he said.
Chin also questioned why Bersatu was seeking to remain in PN, claiming that it was already clear that other coalition members no longer wanted the party in the bloc.
Asked about Abdul Hadi’s influence within PN, Chin said he believed the PAS president’s strong grip was linked to his personal political vision, particularly his ambition to shape Malaysia into an Islamic state.
“He doesn’t trust anybody else,” Chin said, referring to Abdul Hadi’s approach to achieving that objective.
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