An online poll by Malaysiakini on who the public prefers to lead PAS has revealed overwhelming support for progressive leaders, often described as "Erdogans".

However, the poll provides little joy for PAS' progressives as among party delegates, they face the threat of annihilation at the central party polls tomorrow .

Instead, the poll highlights a gulf between the sentiments among PAS delegates and the public.

In the poll which ran in the Malay language section of the news portal for 24 hours beginning 1pm yesterday, Ahmad Awang, a strong proponent of Pakatan Rakyat who is vying for the party presidency, garnered 5,440 votes or 64.4 percent.

This is in contrast to incumbent Abdul Hadi Awang, who garnered 3,005 votes or 35.6 percent.

Similarly, for the deputy presidency, incumbent Mohamad Sabu ( photo ) garnered 3,307 or 62.8 percent of votes compared to conservative rival Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who got 1,963 votes or 37.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the top three leaders chosen to fill the three vice-president positions were Husam Musa (2,970 votes), Salahuddin Ayub (2,225 votes), Mahfuz Omar (2,028 votes), all of whom are seen as pro-Pakatan leaders.

In contrast, conservative leaders were less popular namely Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah (661 votes), Idris Ahmad (647 votes) and Iskandar Samad (535 votes).

But within PAS, where only the votes of the 1,195 delegates matter, Abdul Hadi, together with his ulama faction, appear set for a sweeping win at the polls tomorrow .

Ilham centre executive director Muhammad Hisommuddin Bakar predicted that the conservative faction already secured 40 percent of the delegates even before the election.

This is after the ulama faction systematically and successfully took over the leadership of several PAS divisions to secure their own pro-ulama candidates at the muktamar which will take place from June 4 to June 6 .

If the expected ulama takeover comes to past, they will likely flex their muscles against PAS' Pakatan partners, risking a breakup of the coalition.

Communication breakdown

Already, at this point, PAS remains in Pakatan in name but there has been a breakdown in communication with its partners in the past year.

Abdul Hadi has refused to cooperate with Pakatan partners, angering DAP and prompting it to launch a tirade against the PAS president.

However DAP's name calling of Abdul Hadi appears to have backfired, garnering sympathetic support for the PAS president.

Abdul Hadi ( photo ) has even turned DAP into a campaign for the PAS election, declaring that the party polls is a choice between those who are loyal to PAS and DAP sympathisers.

However, if the online poll is to be used as a measure, it means the anticipated new ulama-dominated leadership would be swimming against the current.

By adopting a Pakatan-unfriendly stance, it remains to be seen if an ulama-dominated PAS leadership can maintain popular support nationally, which cuts across racial and religious lines, something that was painstakingly achieved by the previous leadership.

The achievement of progressive leaders in taking PAS mainstream has often been belittled by conservative leaders, who insist that Islamic purity supersedes political power.

If PAS were to officially adopt this position under a conservative leadership, the party will likely lose its support in urban centres and retreat to its traditional Malay-heartland bastion in the east coast.