PAS progressive leader Mujahid Yusof Rawa today reminded party members who held posts in Penang that they need not wait to be sacked with termination letters.

He said such members ought to stick by their principles and resign from their posts without much ado.

“The decision at the PAS muktamar last week was very clear. If there is any discussion, it should be how to implement the decision and not to rescind or reverse it,” the Parit Buntar MP told Malaysiakini .

“I did not have any problems with the Penang government or with DAP and yet I resigned . I had to stand by my party’s decision,” Mujahid added.

“We must stick to our principles but it does not mean we are out of the game,” he added.

Mujahid was responding to the latest incident where Penang PAS secretary Mohd Fadzil Kemi was issued a termination letter to vacate his post as information officer in Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s office.

Pressuring PAS members

Mujahid, and several other PAS leaders like former state commissioner Mohamed Sabu ( photo ) has quit their posts following the party’s 61st muktamar in Selangor which accepted the Dewan Ulama’s proposal to cut ties with DAP.

PAS delegates’ stand was based on DAP’s decision to sever ties with their president Abdul Hadi Awang for allegedly violating the Pakatan Rakyat common policy framework to table a private members bill in Parliament on the hudud law.

Since then, Lim’s administration have been pressuring PAS members to resign from their various (about 1,000) state posts.

However, this may not be so simple, as those elected by the people, like mosque committee members, will not be receiving termination letters.

There are 215 mosque committees in Penang and each committee comprise of 15 members, many of whom are PAS members, activists or supporters.

State executive councillor on Islamic Affairs Abdul Malik Kassim said no termination letters have been issued to any mosque committee members who are from PAS.

“The committee members are elected by members of the mosque. It will remain that way,” the PKR Batu Maung assemblyperson said when contacted.

Elected by people from congregation

According to a Pakatan source, Lim is issuing termination letters only to those who are in employment like Fadzil.

“It can get very complicated especially when the members are elected by the people from the congregation,” the source said.

“I do not think we will go so far as to issue termination letters to all who are from PAS,” said the highly-connected source.

“We have to take things one at a time and see where we go from there,” the source added.

New PAS state chief Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff said he will only issue a statement on the situation in Penang once he has received his official appointment.

On whether other PAS members have received their termination letters in the various posts, Fauzi said “we are currently checking on the matter”.

When contacted, Fadzil said he wants to find 'ketenangan ' (calm) and declined to respond to the increasing number of questions, especially from reporters.

“I’ve been receiving calls from so many unknown telephone numbers but I have not responded to them all, including calls from reporters.

“I want to be calm, and do not want to respond to any enquiries, there are too many,” he lamented.