By Nicholas Chung
Zaharudin Muhammad (left) was criticised by PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan (centre) for his 鈥榠nsensitive鈥 remarks but defended by central committee member Zuhdi Marzuki (right).PETALING JAYA: A PAS leader鈥檚 controversial claim that a Malaysian of Chinese descent may one day assume the mantle of prime minister mirrors a sentiment held by senior party figures, particularly within the ulama faction.Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad鈥檚 views on the matter suggested the Islamic party鈥檚 reliance on identity politics and its scepticism towards non-Malay appointments to key positions in government.He said PAS central committee member Zuhdi Marzuki鈥檚 support for Zaharudin 鈥 who had included a photo of lieutenant-general Johnny Lim in his now-deleted Facebook post 鈥 showed that such views were latent in PAS.鈥淚t reflects a school of thinking that is consistent among certain groups in the party who have long been indoctrinated with the 鈥楳alay-Muslim struggle鈥 framework, which is exclusive and suspicious of other parties, especially the non-Malays and DAP.Awang Azman Pawi.鈥淶aharudin is known in PAS as one who delivers more hardline views. When figures like Zuhdi, who was once PAS鈥檚 strategic director, lend their support, it shows that this ideology resonates among certain senior leaders.鈥淭hese leaders are not only influential, but are also involved in formulating the party鈥檚 policies,鈥 he told FMT.Awang Azman said the ulama faction was in the driver鈥檚 seat in PAS, especially as the Syura Council, composed of religious scholars, remain the party鈥檚 highest decision-making body.He added that PAS鈥檚 stance and official statements on many controversial issues tend to lean more heavily towards narratives preferred by the religious scholars in PAS rather than the technocrats.鈥淭herefore, it can be said that Zaharudin鈥檚 statement isn鈥檛 an isolated case but reflects an ideology that has long developed in PAS,鈥 said Awang Azman.On June 24, Zaharudin courted controversy by uploading a post on Facebook speculating that Malaysia may have its first Chinese prime minister in the next 30 to 40 years.The comment was made after Lim became the first Malaysian of Chinese descent to be made a three-star general in the army.PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan publicly condemned the post, saying it went against the party鈥檚 stance. He also warned that disciplinary action will be taken against members who engaged in insensitive behaviour.However, Zuhdi came to Zaharudin鈥檚 defence, blaming DAP for allegedly 鈥減laying on sensitivities鈥 and creating controversy out of the issue.To date, no other leader has openly criticised Zaharudin, son-in-law of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, on the matter.Ulama or technocrat, PAS ideologically unifiedDespite the divide between the dominant ulamas and the technocrats, Awang Azman and Universiti Sains Malaysia鈥檚 Azmil Tayeb said both factions were ideologically unified and coherent, with differences related more to their approach.Azmil Tayeb.Azmil said PAS was more than just a political party. He said it was a movement rooted in ideological indoctrination sustained through regular 鈥渦srah鈥 (small study group) sessions, and other similar activities.鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter which faction one belongs to because they all subscribe to the same ideology and go through similar indoctrination programmes. It鈥檚 just that some leaders have no qualms about airing them publicly while others prefer to keep them private.鈥淭he conservative faction has had full control of the party since 2015. There鈥檚 no worry of a divide within the party, especially between the ulama and technocrat factions.鈥滱wang Azman said the likes of Takiyuddin and PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar were key to the party鈥檚 external strategies and interethnic image for the sake of its political survival at the national level.He said the ulamas were more hardline in their religious narratives, perceiving non-Muslim government appointments to key posts as 鈥渟ymbolic threats鈥 to Malay-Muslim power.鈥淭he technocrats meanwhile understand that, in a multiethnic democratic system, such an approach can tarnish PAS鈥檚 national image. But PAS is ideologically consistent in championing Islamic values in national policies and our way of life.鈥淭herefore, their basic ideology is the same, but their approaches are different.鈥