On the road since he was elected PAS Youth chief last month, Suhaizan Kaiat confesses to missing his own bed in Johor Baru, but this yearning for the familiar may soon be felt across the wing he plans to refresh.
Long associated with strident public protests against Western powers and international artistes, Suhaizan is looking to steer the Islamist party’s youth wing away from the stereotype that he said did not resonate with its target demographic.
“The youths, they actually do not like politics that much. They do not like to be tied down to any political party,” the Muar native told The Malay Mail Online in an exclusive interview here.
“But they want their voices to be heard. They want us to hang around them … whatever their issues are, we will help and fight for them.”
To that end, Suhaizan explained that the wing will embark on a private retreat at the end of this month to list down the top three issues among the youths such as job opportunities, housing, and finances.
“We have a lot to work on, but we have a short time to do it. Just one-year-and-a-half,” he said, referring to his term as PAS Youth chief. “I want to optimise the use of time … if we take on a lot, we might not complete them.”
During the party’s annual muktamar, or conference last month, delegates already voiced concern that the wing was seen as falling behind its Pakatan Rakyat counterparts in DAP and PKR in speaking out on socio-economic issues.
“That perception is right … The fault lies with us, not with the public. Maybe before this our appearance, our approach, was seen as unfriendly to them,” said Suhaizan, who sported neither a robe nor a headdress which is the usual attire of the party members.
Former Johor wing chief Suhaizan, 40, won the tight race for the top post against Federal Territories head Kamarulzaman Mohamed and another contender, Zulhazmi Sharif, after Temerloh MP Nasrudin Hassan vacated the chair to fight for a central working committee spot.
Together with his vice-chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin, 34, the two are seen as bucking the trend of ulamas — Islamic clerics — dominating the wing’s top posts, unlike in the previous term.
However, the clergy class is still represented in the wing by Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi, son of party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who won the deputy chief post.
Holding a master’s degree in Software Engineering, Suhaizan taught Computer Science in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Johor Baru before he was dismissed in 2001 after an alleged crackdown against PAS sympathisers in academia.
He was then a committee member of Gelang Patah PAS, and Suhaizan related that he had joined the party then as a reaction towards what he saw as socio-economic injustices, especially among students.
During the interview, Suhaizan also conceded that media spotlight on PAS Youth demonstrations and protests had overshadowed other departments in the wing, which he said are more focused towards socio-economic issues.
He listed the wing’s Department of Laws and Human Rights (Juham), Department of Arts, Culture and Sports (DACS), and PAS’ volunteers’ body Unit Amal (Charity Unit) as the groups not getting the attention they deserved.
Still, he stopped short of saying he would do away with future protests — calling it a democratic obligation; instead, he promised that the wing will balance these out with more engagement with the public.
“Whatever is good, we will support. Whatever which is not, we will fix it together,” he replied briefly when asked if PAS Youth will still protest against music concerts.
“In this issue, even if we protest, the thing will still not be resolved, it will still be around … Actually, what is essential is comprehension. That is more important for me.”
In his closing speech at the PAS muktamar last month, Suhaizan also noted that the average age of the party’s top leadership is considerably higher than those of PKR and DAP, with young leaders given scant opportunity to rise.
“I see there is a [gap] that needs to be filled by PAS Youth. I used the word ‘position’, we need to position talented youth leaders at the suitable places,” said Suhaizan.
He conceded that traditionally in PAS, it was frowned upon for young leaders to “langkah bendul” — a Malay phrase used to describe a disrespectful attempt to go over your elders — nor was it possible to remove veteran leaders from their posts.
To cope with this limitation, Suhaizan suggested that PAS Youth highlight its leaders as icons for national issues, to catch the eyes of party members come PAS’s internal polls.
“The problem here is that delegates still prefer this old guard. The young ones have yet to convince them, because they’re not being positioned. If they can prove themselves, perhaps the delegates’ perceptions can be changed,” he added.
After a rally together with Khairil Nizam in Kota Baru, Suhaizan will head to Kuantan and Kemaman this weekend for “Ops Cuci”, PAS Youth and Unit Amal’s clean-up operation to assist those affected by the recent flood.
Although constantly being on the road means time away from his wife, who is a UTM lecturer, and four children — two daughters and two sons — Suhaizan said there was no need to resettle in Kuala Lumpur yet.
Set to spend another night away from home at the PAS headquarters here, Suhaizan was philosophical.
“We’re marhaen people, we can sleep anywhere. Sometimes I sleep at mosques,” he said smiling, using the Malay word meaning commoners or working class.-themalaymailonline.
