Outspoken ulama invites backlash

PAS is in a dilemma about what to do with controversial ulama Nasharudin Mat Isa. Sacking him would make him a martyr but to allow him to continue to speak out may damage the party's prospects in the general election.

NASHARUDIN Mat Isa was once regarded as a political comet in PAS but his political career is now on a downward spiral. The former PAS deputy president's future in PAS is on the line and he will know whether he is in or out in a fortnight's time.

The chirpy and pint-sized ulama, whose face is reminiscent of the yellow smiley often used in text messaging, has been a newsmaker ever since he was photographed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Mecca earlier this month.

Nasharudin has become too controversial for the comfort of many in PAS and they want him out.

His critics are particularly upset that he has publicly asked PAS to reconsider its partnership with DAP on account of the latter's anti-hudud position.

The Syura Council, which is the highest decision-making body of PAS, will meet on Sept 9 to discuss Nasharudin's fate and the prevailing opinion is that he is unlikely to be sacked.

Opinion in the party is split over Na­­sharudin. Some see him as a menace to Pakatan Rakyat. They think he is falling into the game of Umno but they are afraid that sacking him will make him a martyr in the eyes of his sympathisers. They feel it is better to marginalise him rather than throw him out of the party.

"They want to make his voice smaller," said one of his supporters from Terengganu.

The party also wants to avoid a repeat of the backlash that came from the sacking of former Selangor PAS chief Datuk Dr Hasan Ali.

Many PAS supporters felt that the party caved in to pressure from DAP to get rid of Dr Hasan, who was pushing the Islamic agenda in Selangor.

Unlike Dr Hasan, Nasharudin has support from some very powerful ulama figures in PAS. The head of the Dewan Ulama Datuk Harun Taib has publicly defended him while the outspoken Johor commissioner Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed is against any sort of disciplinary action against Nasharudin and has declared him as still relevant to PAS politics.

"It is his right to speak up and to meet whoever he wants. There is no need to isolate him," said Dr Mahfodz, who is also a member of the Syura Council.

The famous spiritual healer and leading ulama Datuk Dr Haron Din is also said to be on the side of Nasharudin and was very disappointed when he lost the deputy president's post to Mohamed Sabu last year.

They are also not completely comfortable about working with DAP. Like Nasharudin, they feel that the party has compromised too much and is in danger of losing its original voice and direction.

There are many members in PAS who are still struggling to come to terms with supporting DAP despite its outright opposition to hudud law.

However, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, the mursyidul am and a leading advocate of cooperation with DAP, has little sympathy for Nasharudin.

"Whether it is Karpal Singh, Nasharudin or Datuk Asri Muda (a former PAS president and now deceased), if they play by our rules, we accept. If they do not play by our rules, bye-bye!" he said during a recent Hari Raya gathering.

Nasharudin told friends that he was not the initiator of the meeting in Mecca between Najib and several top Saudi ulama.

He said the Saudi religious figures asked him to arrange the meeting with Najib and he sat in as the translator.

According to PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali, the party has no problem with the photograph or the meeting.

"That is not an issue, we don't mind lending him as a translator to Umno. But he keeps asking PAS to withdraw from Pakatan when we have taken a stand to work with DAP. That is our concern about him," said Mustafa.

Nasharudin has already been punished; the party has not renominated the Bachok MP as an election candidate and he should start looking for another job.

Kelantan exco member Datuk Nik Amar Nik Abdullah went into full-time politics a few years before Nasharudin.

Both were lecturers in the International Islamic Universiti but Nasharudin's career path took the fast track or what Nik Amar called the "green lane".

Nasharudin left academia in 1999 and was immediately appointed party secretary- general before winning the Yan parliamentary seat the same year.

By 2005, he was the deputy president, a post he held for three terms.

The young ulama was a breath of fresh air among the stoic and reclusive class of ulama in the party.

He was sociable, spoke fluent Malay, English and Arabic and was able to talk about the religion in a much more accessible way than the traditional ulama. But he did not really shine and turned out to be more a follower than a leader.

"He has tested our trust but I think people are willing to give him another chance," said Nik Amar.

The talk is that the Syura Council is unlikely to recommend sacking him. The 15-person council comprises some very conservative ulama who actually approve of and agree with Nasharudin's actions.

At the most, they may drop him as a member of the council because he has not attended any of the meetings.

Besides, how can his fellow ulama censure him for speaking up for Islam and condemning those who oppose hudud? In fact, they should be applauding him for that.

Nasharudin's present dilemma is not because of the photograph or the DAP. His problem is actually his own party, which is so hungry for power that it is making compromises and taking the road of political expediency.

Read More @ Source

More » Bonology.com | Pakatan Rakyat (PR) | Sociopolitics Plus | 大马社会政治