7th December Malaysiaparty 's [NOW] News of Week(picked from themalaysianinsider.com) : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/13365-rude-crude-and-obscene-and-untouchableA struggle for the soul of Pas
By Shannon Teoh
Nov 28 – The tug-of-war between the conservative ulama faction which controls the leadership of Pas, and the more moderate Erdogan group, has once again spilled out into the open.The recent upheavals in Pas Selangor, when moderates Hulu Kelang state assemblyman Saari Sungip and the church-visiting Shah Alam MP Khalid Abdul Samad were removed from the state committee, has led to talk of an ongoing purge of Erdogan faction members by the ulama group.
The Erdogan moniker is in reference to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's close relationship with the Turkish leader Reccip Tayip Erdogan, and signifies their support for Anwar.
This group is backed by Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, and appears to be supported by a majority of party members.
Malaysiakini to post this=>
The conservative ulama faction, on the other hand, represents the views of its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa and a majority of the leadership, who want to distance themselves from Anwar's ambitions. <==malaysiakini to post this
What happened in Selangor suggests it is but the first of many skirmishes heading up to next July's muktamar, or party general assembly, where party elections will be held.
The sudden move by Pas Selangor to apply pressure on the state government to ban alcohol sales is also a reflection of the infighting which is happening now in the party.
While PKR, widely accepted as the main agenda-setters of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance, holds its annual congress this weekend, the problem of Pas weighs heavily and may usurp proceedings.
PKR and to a greater extent DAP, have sat uneasily as time and again, Pas has displayed its ability to rattle the coalition. From Bumiputera issues to the stunning exposure of Umno-Pas talks, non-Muslims have been given ample reason not to shed its mistrust of the Islamic party.
But for the moderate Erdogan group, led by vice president Datuk Husam Musa and secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar, winning the hearts of the non-Muslims is the desired end, and the means is by winning over their own Malay Muslim grassroots first.
Politically and theologically, they believe that for the party to achieve national acceptance, its grassroots must believe in being inclusive rather than play the divisive zero-sum game of "exterminating enemies of our race and religion."
A prominent moderate, Pas research chief Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has taken it upon himself to go to the ground to spread the "gospel" of Prophet Muhammad's role as arbitrator in Medina.
According to Islamic tradition, despite being in the minority Muslim community there, the Prophet had become the arbitrator and resolved longstanding grievances between the various tribes in Medina, and even drafted the Constitution of Medina.
"Instead of forcing Islam down their throats, why not communicate Islam?" is his message, as he travels with slideshows of how non-Muslim votes are necessary to beat the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
The problem in the past has been that for non-Muslims, Pas has been "unelectable" due to fear of Islamisation. While March 8 proved non-Muslims are willing to vote for a more moderate Pas, inconsistencies in how the party conducts itself only breeds contempt and doubts over its sincerity.
The Erdogan group is now fighting back against what they see as regressive steps.
Championing of Bumiputera rights, for example, is seen as an area which is not considered a priority by the moderates. It is an Islamic, not a Malay party, they contend.
As it stands, party members can generally agree on one thing - that Umno is the enemy, the embodiment of all that must be purged from the "Muslimin and Muslimat." So why copy its racial chauvinism?
Instead, the Erdogan group is backing a more humble approach.
Khalid, when asked on his ejection from the Selangor committee, was gracious in conceding that state chief Datuk Dr Hassan Ali should be allowed to work with a team he was most comfortable with.
"We are not here to displace them. We are happy to play second fiddle. We cannot deny that the base is the conservative northern and eastern Malay belt, but we are here to add value," a leading Erdogan member told The Malaysian Insider.
"I believe the hardliners are all sincere without any sinister motive. They are well-meaning," Dzulkelfy had told The Malaysian Insider recently.
The Erdogan group will likely grit its teeth from now until next year's muktamar and persevere even if its rank and file continue to be "persecuted." What it believes must be done, is for it not to be seen as a threat but as a vital element in establishing Pas as a national party.
The catch-22 for the hardline ulama group is while it fears the party will be taken over by the moderates, it also needs these personalities.
But if the Erdogan group is not backed by the grassroots in the party elections, it may very well be curtains for Pakatan Rakyat.
"In the next six months or so, leading up to the muktamar, we need to consolidate and work on coalition building with our PR partners. If we cannot do this by then, we can just forget it, as the coalition will then fall back to the fragmentation of the 2004 general elections," an Erdon group memberr concluded, referring to the heavy defeat the opposition suffered in 2004.
(above picked from http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/13406-a-struggle-for-the-soul-of-pas-)
马华署理总会长蔡细历今日对新闻部长阿末沙比里与房屋地方政府部长黄家泉左右开弓，炮轰两人把国际山庄的土崩惨剧归咎于购屋者及天灾，却没有任何违规的发展商受对付。
阿末沙比里日前声称，每次发生灾难都不应该怪罪于政府，在这次的土崩事件，政府、发展商与购屋者都有责任。
唯专责掌管旅游、消费人事务和环境的雪州行政议员黄洁冰（右图左）却道出
黄洁冰昨天在自己的
她接着更揭露，由于她坚持严格执法，一些人对她尤其反感，更直指她“跋扈专横”。
这位公正党武吉兰樟州议员哀痛地指出，国际山庄的惨剧彰显民联雪州政府当初的决策是正确的，惟这样的证明，代价太过惨重了。
另外，槟州首席部长林冠英（左图左三）也重申所有山坡发展商必须符合7项准绳，才能够继续动工。
此外，再纳拉欣（左图）指出，市政局将提呈州内8项进行中的山坡计划地质技术报告给独立小组，“我们有本身的地质工程师，但或许不足够，更多专家参与重检将会更安全。”
回顾数月前，安华的916变天之梦，倾倒无数巾帼英雄，陶醉多少壮士豪杰。人民要改变，受够了国阵50年昏庸统治，厌恶巫统种族霸权、贪污腐败，鄙视马华招摇撞骗、欺善怕恶，憎恨国大党贪赃枉法、欺压印裔，唾弃民政党阿谀奉承、习非成是。
公正党开会也好、出书也好、示威也好，每次都到场声援，把嗓子也吼破，咖喱饭把肠子都染黄了。哈哈，哈哈哈哈，乜都冇……变天虽然是我们期盼的，但是我们更想知道，公正党是要带给人民一个怎样的国家？你的“人民主权”係乜嚟嘎？难道就是要归还统治者的免控权吗？难道就是要恢复统治者的立法否决权吗？你是民主还是皇主啊？怎么比巫统还差呀！
巫统精英阶层利用马来平民的短见，依靠鼓吹“马来主权”，肆无忌惮地搜刮民脂，窃夺国家资源。今天，公正党挂上“人民主权”（Ketuanan Rayat）的招牌，就可以粉饰清廉吗？巫统尚只能吃马来人和土著的蛋糕，而公正党“人民主权”这块蛋糕，可想“全民通吃”？还没上台就觉得离陈水扁已经不远了！
我想首先是种族潜意识。民联三党均自封多元政党，扒去外衣可见，行动党是稍加点缀的华人政党，这个党本身潜意识里种族性超强，它与马华公会是一根藤上的两粒苦瓜。回教党是无需遮掩的马来人政党，种族潜意识同样根深蒂固。公正党在西马还算有点“多元”，但50年国家教育大背景下，不论巫裔华裔，多数党员都无法摆脱潜意识种族思维，认为华人只能说华人事，马来人只说马来人事，马来人须是政党及社会主导。可见，最终民联也无法摆脱国阵式政治论述框框。
这意思是告诉全社会，民联目前只作宪法内斗争，回避任何种族宗教争议诉求。民联要政治贿赂皇室，也要安抚马来人，消除变革恐惧心理，集中揭发攻击国阵和巫统的贪污、腐败、滥权、司法不公、践踏人权、打压新闻言论自由等倒行逆施。希望第13届大选反风再卷，民联志在登台执政。
