Two important PAS ceramah took place last night, on opposite sides of the peninsula.

In Rusila, Terengganu, thousands flocked to the Dewan Tok Guru for the "Himpunan Istiqamah Sampai Kemenangan" (Steadfast until victory).

The star of the night was newly re-elected PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Rusila’s proudest son, who appeared with his newly- elected central committee members.

Hadi’s supporters have been busy rallying support for the event in recent days.

After all, it was to be the first time he would show off his new line-up of “righteous” men, who were elected just over a week ago, to the public.

According to PAS central committee member Nasrudin Hassa who was present, the rally showed that party members are behind the ulama leadership.

The rally has also resulted in 889 new members which he described to  Malaysiakini  as a good sign for the party's bid to recapture Terengganu.

Sombre mood at other

In the last general election, PAS failed to regain Terengganu by only two seats. It had ruled Terengganu from 1999 to 2004.

Over at the PAS Bakri division headquarters in Muar, Johor, there was a different atmosphere altogether.

The venue was a dimly-lit field. The speakers line-up featured those rejected in the PAS leadership election at its 61st muktamar.

It was not a celebration. In fact, the title for the event - “Himpunan Jasamu Dikenang” (Your deeds will be remembered gathering) - was rather sombre.

Although the speakers are no longer in the PAS leadership, the crowd was large - more than 1,000 people turned up at the already cramped venue.

Asked to assess the mood of the crowd, former PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kayat told Malaysiakini that there were persistent calls from the audience to “form a new party”.

“It appears that is their aspiration… I told them I would continue my struggle against BN,” Suhaizan said after the event.

Wanted: A new vehicle

The final speaker was former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who appear to hint that he and his team members may be seeking greener pastures.

“For us, it is not about remembering our past deeds… It is about starting a new struggle,” Mohamad or Mat Sabu told the crowd, while suggesting that a new “wadah (vehicle)” was needed.

And if this was not clear enough, Mat sabu also took newly appointed Johor PAS leader Mahfodz Mohamed to task for being inconsistent, without naming him.

“He (Mahfodz) called DAP a traitor . But right after his appointment, he said he wants to be friends with DAP. Which state is he from?” he asked, to which the crowd shouted, “Johor!”.