Salahuddin: Kedah fallout damage must be repaired
Nigel AwPublished: Apr 12, 2012 5:17 AM | Updated: Apr 12, 2012 7:44 AM
INTERVIEW PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub has conceded that Kedahan support for the party and PAS-led government there faltered because of its leadership crisis in the state.
INTERVIEW PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub has conceded that Kedahan support for the party and PAS-led government there faltered because of its leadership crisis in the state.
The feud between Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak and state exco member Phahrolrazi Zawawi, he said, had hurt the support of Kedahan independent voters.
“I cannot deny that at that time, the support of the fence-sitter and middle-class community, including the Malays, was shaken.
“Even the non-Muslims seemed to have lost confidence in the state government,” he said in an interview with Malaysiakini on Monday.
Salahuddin (left), who had served as a mediator in the crisis, said while the resolution of the crisis has resuscitated local support, he stressed that efforts should be made to restore people’s confidence.
“We cannot belittle the problem, there needs to be initiatives to convince everyone... this time we must show that we are sincere and honest and that we are doing our best to fulfill our responsibilities, and only then can we regain confidence,” he said.
The Kedah crisis was triggered when Phahrolrazi and fellow exco member Ismail Salleh refused to remain in Azizan’s administration in protest at the latter, whom they claimed had failed in his duties as Menteri Besar.
However, following PAS’ central committee intervention led by Salahuddin, a steering committee was set up to oversee Azizan’s administration, withdissenting exco members being sworn in on April 5.
‘Kofi Annan of PAS’
Salahuddin, who was moved to tears after a four-hour round of negotiations on March 3 concluded, said the feuding parties had given their respective assurances through PAS central committee mediation.
“This is my second experience as a mediator, my friends have joked that I am the (former UN secretary-general) Kofi Annan of PAS,” he said.
Salahuddin’s debut as a mediator was in an equally serious crisis when PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (right) made a surprise call for an extraordinary general meeting to remove the ‘problematic leaders’ keen on severing ties with Pakatan Rakyat in favour of cooperation with Umno.
However, a split in the PAS top leadership was averted after Salahuddin’s team stepped in to propose a high-powered meeting to hammer out party differences instead of an EGM.
Asked if the Kedah crisis was trully resolved or had merely been postponed, Salahuddin, after a long pause, responded: “I believe it is resolved.
“If it arises again, if it is not resolved, we will discuss again. In politics we cannot please everyone but most importantly is for all parties to obey the party’s decision,” he said.
Related stories:
Johor not an eternal Umno bastion, says Salahuddin
PAS veep prepared to face ‘suicide’ in Johor
The feud between Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak and state exco member Phahrolrazi Zawawi, he said, had hurt the support of Kedahan independent voters.
“I cannot deny that at that time, the support of the fence-sitter and middle-class community, including the Malays, was shaken.
“Even the non-Muslims seemed to have lost confidence in the state government,” he said in an interview with Malaysiakini on Monday.
Salahuddin (left), who had served as a mediator in the crisis, said while the resolution of the crisis has resuscitated local support, he stressed that efforts should be made to restore people’s confidence.“We cannot belittle the problem, there needs to be initiatives to convince everyone... this time we must show that we are sincere and honest and that we are doing our best to fulfill our responsibilities, and only then can we regain confidence,” he said.
The Kedah crisis was triggered when Phahrolrazi and fellow exco member Ismail Salleh refused to remain in Azizan’s administration in protest at the latter, whom they claimed had failed in his duties as Menteri Besar.
However, following PAS’ central committee intervention led by Salahuddin, a steering committee was set up to oversee Azizan’s administration, withdissenting exco members being sworn in on April 5.
‘Kofi Annan of PAS’
Salahuddin, who was moved to tears after a four-hour round of negotiations on March 3 concluded, said the feuding parties had given their respective assurances through PAS central committee mediation.
“This is my second experience as a mediator, my friends have joked that I am the (former UN secretary-general) Kofi Annan of PAS,” he said.
Salahuddin’s debut as a mediator was in an equally serious crisis when PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (right) made a surprise call for an extraordinary general meeting to remove the ‘problematic leaders’ keen on severing ties with Pakatan Rakyat in favour of cooperation with Umno.However, a split in the PAS top leadership was averted after Salahuddin’s team stepped in to propose a high-powered meeting to hammer out party differences instead of an EGM.
Asked if the Kedah crisis was trully resolved or had merely been postponed, Salahuddin, after a long pause, responded: “I believe it is resolved.
“If it arises again, if it is not resolved, we will discuss again. In politics we cannot please everyone but most importantly is for all parties to obey the party’s decision,” he said.
Related stories:
Johor not an eternal Umno bastion, says Salahuddin
PAS veep prepared to face ‘suicide’ in Johor
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