MACHANG: The ulama in PAS want to play more meaningful roles in the governance of Pakatan Rakyat states.
The party’s Dewan Ulama head Datuk Harun Taib said there were currently many capable ulama serving in states like Kedah, Selangor and Penang.
“More avenues should be given by Pakatan states to allow the ulama to play meaningful roles in governance. They can be roped in to help the Pakatan governments tackle issues such as overcoming social ills.
“They can also advise on the Islamic form of the economy,” he said after the opening of the Dewan Ulama assembly at the party’s spiritual centre here yesterday.
Harun said there also had to be a better appreciation of the qisas and hudud legislation of Islam in Pakatan states.
He said the ulama had also expressed the wish for closer rapport with professionals in the party and engagement with non-Muslims and defended the party’s contentious move to admit non-Muslims by according them “assembly status.”
Harun, 67, who is recovering from a mild stroke, said the networking and cooperation levels between the ulama and professionals were the party’s secret to success.
“This cooperation level needs to be boosted further to cement PAS’ political clout,” he said, adding that the professionals and ulama complemented each other in PAS, which believed in the concept of Islam for all.
On the formation of a PAS’ supporters’ assembly, Harun said as Prophet Muhammad himself had also engaged non-Muslims, he saw no reason why the party’s grassroots must reject the concept of including them in its political struggle.
Earlier, a delegate caused a stir when he stood up during the tabling of the wing’s annual accounts statement and asked why the picture of party deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa had not been included in the banners proclaiming Kelantan as the muktamar’s (assembly) host.
The delegate from Terengganu said only photographs of president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat were featured, adding that it was unbecoming for the party to ignore Nasharudin. Organising committee member Abdullah Abdul Razak said it had assumed that the photographs of Hadi and Nik Abdul Aziz were sufficient.
However, he could not give an answer why none of the muktamar banners and posters throughout Kelantan also did not feature Nashrudin’s photograph.
There was speculation about two years ago that Nasharudin had been supportive of a secret proposal for PAS to join Umno and form a national unity government. – The Star
