Selangor PAS chief Dr Hassan Ali has removed two senior party leaders from their posts following their criticism of his handling of religious and race issues, which was said to have ruffled his feathers.
Last Friday, he replaced the state PAS deputy commissioner II and Shah Alam MP Khalid Abdul Samad (right) with Hulu Langat MP Dr Che Rosli Che Mat.Khalid was ranked No 3 in Selangor PAS after Hassan and Osman Sabran, the deputy commissioner I.
Hassan (left) also removed party information chief and Hulu Kelang state assemblyperson Saari Sungib, and brought in Roslan Shahir Mohd Sharir, the Kelana Jaya division chief and press secretary to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.The shocking decision to drop the duo was made at the Dewan Harian or management committee meeting last Friday, and was endorsed by the state liaison meeting the same day.
A source in Selangor PAS told Malaysiakini that the move to drop the duo was proposed by Hassan himself, who allegedly ‘dominated’ the meeting.
According to the source, some division chiefs did not agree with the decision, but remained silent as they did not have a chance to speak up.
“There was no freedom of expression during the meeting. The agenda did not discuss the real issues and instead swept these under the carpet,” the source added.
The vocal Khalid and Saari were said to have irked Hassan over the appointment of a Chinese acting general manager, Low Siew Moi (right), to head the Selangor Development Corporation. They had also commented on the state allocation of RM10 million for places of worship.Malaysiakini understands that the duo were of the view that racial matters involving non-Malays should not be the state party’s top concern and that its leaders should not play up such issues.
However, this apparently ran contrary to the approach adopted by Hassan, who is also Selangor executive councillor. He had reportedly opposed Low’s appointment on the basis that she is a not a Malay.
This had elicited mixed reactions from different quarters, with some saying that the stance was not in line with the ‘PAS for all’ campaign adopted prior to the 2008 general election.
Khalid and Saari were seen as lobbying for PAS to return to its roots and to focus on efforts to strengthen the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat.
‘It’s usual practice’
Contacted for comments yesterday, Khalid said the reshuffle was undertaken because “differences” in his approach and opinions had apparently made it difficult for the leadership to function effectively.
He declined to elaborate on the ‘differences’ apart from saying that these had become evident after the polls in March.
Khalid said Roslan and Che Rosli were more “in sync” with Hassan’s style of administration, and that the reshuffle was made to allow the latter to perform his duties more effectively.
Saying he had not opposed Hassan’s decision during the meeting, Khalid vowed to continue to being outspoken in his capacity as the Shah Alam division chief.
Saari (right), when contacted, refused to comment, while Hassan could not be reached for comment as he was said to be abroad.Roslan, meanwhile, said the reshuffle was done in accordance with Hassan’s wish to strengthen the state party mechanism.
He further claimed Khalid and Saari were dropped from their posts in order to ease their burden as elected representatives.
“Pahang and Malacca (PAS) have also reshuffled their line-up, but no issue has been made of this,” Roslan said, adding that the reshuffle was “normal practice”.
Defending the new appointments, he also pointed out that he and Che Rosli (left) are not rookies.He said he has held the post before, that he has experience, and has enjoyed good ties with Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim even prior to the March general election.
Che Rosli is former Perlis PAS deputy commissioner, he added - malaysiakini.com
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