'Pas presidency, deputy presidency expected to go uncontested'

SHAH ALAM - The two highest positions in Pas, namely the president and deputy president are expected to go uncontested at the 69th Pas Annual Assembly scheduled to be held from Oct 20 to 22.

Political analyst from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Dr Hussain Yusri Zawawi said this expectation considers the strong support given by the grassroots to Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

However, he elaborated that changes involving three seats for the deputy president position may occur at this assembly.

"I believe that other top positions in Pas will be contested except for the president and deputy president seats.

"This is because the current Pas winning pattern indicates that Hadi is still relevant and has the majority of members' confidence to continue leading the party and also within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.

"The political maneuvers and strategies within the PN coalition signal that the Pas President (Hadi) is open and professional in leading the party at present.

"The deputy president's position may also be retained by the current incumbent, Tuan Ibrahim," he told Sinar yesterday.

Hadi, who is also the Marang MP has been leading Pas since 2002, replacing the late Datuk Fadzil Noor, making him the longest-serving individual in the highest position in the party.

Tuan Ibrahim, on the other hand, has held the second position in the party since 2015.

Meanwhile, Hussain Yusri said that Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is also expected to retain the deputy president's position based on his performance.

Besides Ahmad Samsuri, the two other leaders currently holding the deputy president positions are Datuk Idris Ahmad and Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.

"Only two more seats are likely to have new candidates," he said.

On potential new candidates for positions within the party, Hussain Yusri said that Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor is among the individuals who could be highlighted.

He clarified that the openness of Pas and the context of leadership among technocrats and scholars have made more qualified candidates capable of leading the party.

"In addition, Jasin MP Zulkifli Ismail is also frequently mentioned because he carries the image of an Islamic scholar who may lead the leadership of Pas Pusat (Central).

"Similarly, the Pas state commissioners will undergo many changes based on the current political trend," he said.

Previously, Pas Secretary-General Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan was reported to have said that there were not expected to be any changes to the party's leadership lineup in this year's assembly.

He further elaborated that this was because the current leadership was widely accepted, in addition to the party's success in the 15th General Election (GE15) last year.

During the 67th Pas Annual Assembly in 2021, the positions of president and deputy president held by Hadi and Tuan Ibrahim were not challenged by any other leaders.

Therefore, if Pas does not contest the president and deputy president positions in this election, it will become the second party to do so after Umno.

In the January Umno Annual General Assembly in 2022, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan retained the president and deputy president positions without contest.

In another development, the 2023 Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Annual Assembly scheduled to take place from Nov 23 to 25 will not contest positions at the Supreme Leadership Council (MPT) and divisions.

Its spokesperson, Datuk Razali Idris said this was informed by the party's Secretary-General Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, on May 13.

He added that the positions of president, deputy president, vice president, and wing leader were postponed, and only leadership elections at the branch level would be contested.

However, he elaborated that so far, no candidates have expressed a desire to contest at the highest level, which may take place next year.

"So, the rumours about changes at the highest level in this meeting are not true, only at the branch level.

"So far, the MPT election, which we postponed," he said.