PAS Kubang Kerian member of Parliament Husam Musa said today that he harbours no ambition to be the menteri besar of Kelantan and dismissed a recent report that he has been named as the successor to Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

He said that Kelantan and Terengganu - both PAS-led states - should preferably be led by the party's ulama (Islamic scholars). The Terengganu MB is PAS Acting President Abdul Hadi Awang.

"Thus the question of me replacing Tok Guru Nik Aziz as menteri besar does not arise," he told malaysiakini.

"I will concentrate on my role as an MP and I am happy where I am now.

"My personal conviction is that the future menteris besar of Kelantan and Terengganu should be ulama while the professionals should play a complementary role by assisting them," Husam said.

Front-page report

The monthly tabloid Api Perjuangan Mahasiswa in its latest issue headlined "Husam is the next MB" in its front-page report. The report said the 44-year-old politician has been named by Nik Aziz recently.

However Husam said there is no truth in the report and that he only learnt about it from his party supporters.

Husam, served as press secretary to Nik Aziz from 1990-1993 and political secretary from 1993-1999.

According to the tabloid report, the main reason for Husam being named as the next MB was his ability to "transform the state leadership into a more professional and cohesive entity as envisaged by Nik Aziz".

Another reason is Husam's long years of close relationship with Nik Aziz and his knowledge of the Tok Guru's inner thoughts and visions.

Commenting on this, Husam said the leadership of the ulama in PAS has proven to be a success.

He also dismissed the possibility of a power struggle for the state's top post as "this is not the culture of PAS".

"It is a party's collective decision and the successor of the MB should go according to rank and seniority in the party," he said.

Going by that precedent, he said the current deputy MB, Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman, should be the logical choice as Nik Aziz's successor.

Polls result

The tabloid added that in a recent survey, Husam also emerged as the most popular candidate to be the next Kelantan MB polling 79.5 percent, compared to Abdul Halim's 63 percent.

The report claimed that the survey was conducted from January to June this year involving 1,800 undergraduates, mostly from Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Kelantan Muslim students welfare association.

Husam also said he was unaware of Nik Aziz's plans to step down.

The 72-year-old Nik Aziz has been at the helm of Kelantan since 1990. In an interview with a vernacular daily recently, he said his retirement is up to the party to decide.

"If I am healthy, the people still support me and the party agree, then I can continue (to lead the state).

If the party says I can but if I am not physically fit, then sure I can't continue. It is impossible for me to come to the office in a wheel-chair," the daily quoted him as saying.