With two weeks to go before the 60th PAS muktamar is to be held, the party has been told that it cannot hold the meet at the planned site in Johor Baru because the owner has come "under pressure".

PAS assistant secretary-general Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil said the landlord of the original venue, an open space near Sutera Mall, was "pressured by certain quarters" leading to the return of the RM75,000 deposit paid by the party.

The PAS muktamar will now be held at a new venue, a plot of land that will soon be flattened, in Batu Pahat, in the Sri Gading district.

Khairul (left) also said that the party had already received cooperation from the landlord and the police but had failed to secure approval from the local authorities (PBT).

“PAS had also tried to obtain information from the menteri besar's office on this matter, but since this is such a short notice, we decided to proceed with the move (to Sri Gading),” he added.

Land must be flattened

The land at Sri Gading, which is some 100km away from the original site, needs to be flattened in order for the muktamar, scheduled to be held from Sept 18 to 20, to go on smoothly.

Khairul said the hurried change has made matters chaotic.

However, he stressed, discussions at the muktamar would be open and discussed, regardless of the matters involved.

“Even if it involves the menteri besar, or the sultan, it will all be discussed,” he added.

On another matter, PAS said that the party has not discussed nominating a candidate for the Pengkalan Kubor by-election since, the state seat comes under PKR’s quota.

The seat fell vacant after its the incumbent, Noor Zahidi Omar of Umno, died of cancer last month.