Husam stays cool as rumours churn

To hear Husam Musa say it, the controversy in Kelantan over his alleged discontent and rumoured impending resignation as state executive councilor is yet another ploy by Umno to bring down the PAS state government.

"They (Umno) will try every tactic in the book to bring the Tok Guru (PAS spiritual adviser and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat) down," Husam (right) told Malaysiakini in Kuala Lumpur.

"If they can't get the Tok Guru, they will try to bring down anyone closely associated with him."

In charge of the state administration, financial planning and welfare portfolio, Husam has been a key man in the government of Nik Aziz since the 2004 general election, when he was appointed to the executive council.

From 1999-2004, Husam was MP for Kubang Kerian, a position from which he first raised in Parliament the issue of unpaid oil royalty to Kelantan due over offshore oil and gas finds.

The issue is now fraught. Since 2005, oil and gas extractions from the Joint Development Area in the stretch of sea between Thailand and Kelantan has been piped to Songkla in southern Thailand instead of Kota Bharu, lending spurious justification to the federal government for ignoring the issue of royalties to Kelantan.

According to Husam, who did some deft sleuthing before making the case for royalty payment to Kelantan, the state is owed is owed a few billion ringgit in unpaid dues.

But, momentarily, the issue has been consigned to a backburner as speculation the past week swirled around Husam following controversy in Kelantan centering on Nik Aziz's son-in-law Abdul Ariffahmi Abdul Rahman.

Appointed chief executive officer of Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) earlier this year, engineer Ariffahmi quickly became a lightning rod for controversy.

A thunderhead boiled up when an aide seen as close to Husam - Syed Azidi Syed Aziz - resigned from MBI, trailing in his wake criticism of Ariffahmi over the way he has been running things in MBI.

MBI is the subject of an investigation made by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, a situation that was reported to have arisen from a complaint lodged with the agency by Syed Azidi (left). The latter has denied having anything to do with the complaint.

Husam similarly denied he had anything to do with Syed Azidi's resignation.

"Why don't you ask him?" was his terse response when asked if he knew the reasons for the resignation.

Placatory gesture?

Husam's current brief absence from Kelantan - he returns to Kota Bharu tomorrow - has fuelled speculation, fanned by Umno's spin-meisters that he is on the outs with the revered Tok Guru.

"I will always be loyal to Tok Guru," he affirmed.

Asked his opinion on Kelantan executive councilor Takiyuddin Hassan's appointment today as deputy secretary-general of PAS, he characteristically replied: "Why don't you ask Mustapha Ali?"

Mustapha, from Terengganu, is secretary-general of PAS, appointed by party president Abdul Hadi Awang, who is from the same state.

The appointment of Takiyuddin, a Kelantanese, is seen as a placatory gesture by the Terengganu wing of PAS, widely felt to be at odds with the Kelantan faction.