| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| PAS debates role of clerics |
| 2009-05-04 |
| [Straits Times] MALAYSIA opposition Islamist party is in the grip of a debate over the nature of its leadership ahead of party polls next month. A big controversy has broken out after a key cleric, Datuk Mohamed Daud Iraqi, said the top two posts in Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) could be held only by ulama, or Islamic scholars. His comments added to an internal debate on whether PAS should strengthen its Malay-Islam roots by forming a loose coalition with Umno, or get closer to the multiracial Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance. 'PAS is an Islamist party, therefore it should be led by individuals from religious backgrounds,' said Mr Mohamed Daud, who leads the powerful council of clerics or Dewan Ulama PAS. He was quoted by the Utusan Malaysia newspaper as saying that PAS would be in chaos if it was not led by religious scholars as its principles were based on Islam. But other leaders say having clerics as president and deputy president is not part of the party's Constitution, and that capability is a better measure. 'The choices for leaders are not limited only to religious scholars, there are also professionals to choose from. The question is whether to choose someone based on his capability of specialising in a role, or based on the person's educational background,' wrote PAS central leader Khalid Samad on his blog. The debate is being watched closely because PAS, with some one million members, is the biggest opposition party. It is also part of the PR alliance, which hopes to grab federal power in the next general election, to be held by 2013, with support from non-Muslims. There are worries in PAS that Mr Mohamed Daud's comments will deepen its internal split ahead of its biennial elections. A faction in PAS wants to continue with the so-called 'unity talks' with its traditional foe, Umno, with a view of forming an alliance to strengthen the voice of Malays and Muslims. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-05-04 18:02 |