Pas More Qualified To Lead Pn Says Spiritual Leader

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PAS spiritual adviser Hashim Jasin said the Islamic party has no history of party-hopping and is not driven by ambitions for power. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: A PAS leader has asserted that the Islamic party is better qualified to lead Perikatan Nasional (PN), challenging the notion that Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yasin should remain as the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate.
PAS spiritual adviser Hashim Jasin cited the party’s larger parliamentary representation and stronger grassroots network nationwide as key reasons for its leadership aspirations.
“Although PAS only holds the deputy leadership role in PN, our track record in Parliament, community work, and overall contributions is more substantial,” he was quoted as saying in an Utusan Malaysia report.
He added that PAS’s history of no party-hopping and lack of hunger for power also bolstered its claim to leadership.
PAS currently holds the lion’s share of parliamentary seats in the Dewan Rakyat at 43 – 18 more than its coalition ally Bersatu.
Bersatu meanwhile won 31 seats in the 2022 general election but was left with 25 after terminating the memberships of six MPs who declared their support for Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.
Hashim’s remarks followed recent comments by Bersatu vice-president Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who insisted that Muhyiddin was the sole candidate for the prime minister’s post in the opposition.
Bersatu Supreme Council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan meanwhile told FMT it was unlikely that a PAS leader would spearhead PN’s charge at the next polls, despite the Islamist party’s dominance in the opposition coalition.
And PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said there was no question about Muhyiddin’s position as PN’s prime minister candidate.
However, Hashim said that Bersatu could not sideline PAS by deciding on such a pivotal position without consultation and mutual agreement.
He also said that if PN wins GE16, leadership decisions must be based on the coalition’s current realities and the strengths of each party. - FMT

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