PAS members take a swing at their 'golfing' MB, excos

PAS members in Kedah are disappointed with their menteri besar Azizan Abdul Razak and his executive councillors for, among others, spending too much time on the golf course with luminaries.

According to them, the new state government is no different from the previous Umno-led government.

They accused the menteri besar, who is also the PAS state commissioner, and his excos of allegedly failing to live up to their promises as well as the expectations of the party.

Azizan and state government officials had purportedly come under fire during a meeting last week with 15 PAS division leaders in Kedah.

Some had even called on Azizan to give up the Islamic affairs and finance portfolio, one of eight that the menteri besar holds.

In a list of demands submitted to Azizan by the divisions, the Alor Setar division claimed that the menteri besar "failed to strengthen the implementation of Islam in line with the demands of the Islamic struggle borne by PAS."

A copy of this list was obtained by Malaysiakini.

'No time for the people'

Apart from this, Azizan was also accused of being too willing to believe the explanations and advice of state civil service officers while being overly harsh towards those appointed to their positions by the party.

Party members, such as those within the PAS Youth wing, were also said to have been sidelined by the state government.

The menteri besar and his excos were also criticised for allegedly being too busy to meet or entertain the calls of ordinary people but had all the time to spend on the golf course with VIPs.

"We have heard that the MB and his excos are very diligent in playing golf with the Sultan (Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah).

"While the Sultan is often attended to, it is difficult for the people to meet them," claimed the Jerlun PAS division.

The divisions also cited a litany of vices in Kedah that they accused the government of leaving unchecked, such as prostitution, transvestitism, gambling, and the sale and consumption of alcohol.

They also said there appeared to be no change in the environment of public and private premises such as in the state government building Wisma Darul Aman despite the change of government.

On the issue of governance and administration, the divisions also questioned why civil servants who continued to demonstrate biasness against PAS and its policies were still kept in their positions.

Citing the continued presence of Umno figures who determined how zakat funds were distributed, they called for the Islamic religious department, Islamic religious council, Department of Zakat and mosques to be filled by persons inclined to PAS so as to effect a more equitable implementation of policies.

'Give us an action plan'

They also expressed disappointment with the lack of progress in education, social welfare, women’s development, cooperation with NGOs, and local governance and administration.

"When will the issue of strewn rubbish in the (jurisdiction of) Alor Setar Municipal Council be settled? The people no longer want to hear remarks that accuse this or that party. The people only want to see that rubbish is collected regularly and promptly!" said the Alor Setar PAS division.

The divisions called for a plan of action and a time frame to be formulated to realise the 115 items that Pakatan Rakyat had promised they would fulfill during the March 2008 general elections.

When contacted, deputy PAS commissioner Hassan Abdul Razak played down the criticisms and described them as misunderstandings and coffee-house chatter.

According to him, some things have been carried out but were not announced, others are being carried out in stages, while others are still in the planning stage.

Dismissing talk that Azizan was indulging in luxuries, Hassan disclosed that the MB had decided to forego RM10,000 of his monthly salary - and keep only RM4,100 - so that these could be channeled to government agencies.

This is in order to set an example for others similar to that done by Kelantan Menteri Besar and PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.