HENTAMAN KERAS TAMRIN GHAFAR TERHADAP PAS (1) PAS KINI TIDAK LAGI DIPERCAYAI OLEH PENGUNDI (2) PAS KINI DIKUASAI OLEH GOLONGAN TALIBAN (3) PRESIDEN PAS MESTI MELETAKKAN JAWATAN (4) TIDAK FAHAM OBSESSI PAS DENGAN WALA’ (5) PAS BUKAN SEBUAH PARTI DEMOKRATIK (6) PEMIMPIN PROFESIONAL PERLU AMBIL-ALIH PAS Abdul Hadi and Taliban group misguiding Pas, says Tamrin Ghafar By Shuhada Elis Monday, October 20, 2014 The departure of Datuk Tamrin Abdul Ghafar from Pas on October 15 was seen as a loss for the Islamist party given the veteran politician’s family background. Tamrin is the son of former deputy prime minister and Umno strongman, the late Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba. He spent 40 years in Umno but quit to join Pas two years ago. His entry was trumpeted as a feat of sort by the conservative party. In a brief but no-holds-barred phone interview with The Mole, Tamrin explains why he decided to leave Pas, which he claimed has become a “Taliban-dominated” party. Q: You left Pas with immediate effect despite previously saying that you believed in the cause of the party. What happened? Tamrin: I have said many times that I am disappointed with the leadership of the party. In fact many other party members are. The party has lost its track because it has been misdirected by the leadership. Now the party has lost trusts from both the Malay and non-Malay voters. They no longer believe the party because of the (actions of the) leaders. Q: Are you specifically referring to party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang? Tamrin: Of course! (Abdul) Hadi and the Taliban (Ulama) group who are now dominating the party. Q: What makes you and other Pas supporters upset with them? Tamrin: For several reasons. This Taliban group reacted unnecessarily to the recent Oktoberfest (beer-drinking) party, ganging up with (Malay right-wing group) Perkasa to demonstrate because the festival is “un-Islamic.” But what about those gambling dens and casinos all over the country? Why not go up to Genting Highlands to demonstrate? They obviously don’t have respect for other races and these peoples rights in the country. In Islam we are taught to respect other races and religions. Q: But your discontentment with the party surely started way before this? Tamrin: I am not discontented with the party. To me, there is nothing wrong with Pas. But the actions of the leaders are perplexing. If you look back at the Selangor menteri besar issue, Pas initially agreed with PKR and DAP to name (PKR president) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the sole candidate, but then it decided to name (PKR deputy president) Mohamed Azmin Ali too. After that Abdul Hadi, backed by the Syura Council, had sent three names to the Selangor palace instead. And the names did not even include Wan Azizah or Azmin. Also in the case of (former Selangor MB) Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the leaders were flip-flopping. At first, they supported him. Then, they agreed that he should step down from his post. When Azmin was finally appointed to replace him, they said Abdul Khalid had done nothing wrong and was wrongly removed as the MB. So what nonsense is this? Who do they want as the menteri besar, really? And to top it all, Pas suspended its assemblymen (Hulu Kelang) Saari Sungib and (Morib) Hasnol Baharuddin for a year for throwing their support behind Wan Azizah. What they did (by signing the statutory declaration) was merely to stick to Pakatan Rakyat’s common policy. Q: There were reports that Abdul Hadi had labeled these assemblymen as “barua” (stooges) in Pas Muktamar in Johor last month. What do you think of his remark? Tamrin: I had been in Umno for 40 years and never in my life had I heard any Umno leader say such a degrading word. He (Abdul Hadi) called his fellow partymen “barua” and allowed the delegates to recite “doa laknat” against the two assemblymen, and he says he is fighting for the cause of Islam? Some young Ulama members also left the hall when (deputy president) Mohamad Sabu took the stage as a show of protest. I was in Pemuda Umno (Youth) for a long time, and this has never happened in Umno. But the young leaders in Pas who called themselves Ulama (clerics) showed such disrespect. These are the worst lot. Q: Do you think Abdul Hadi must be held responsible in the recent happenings in the party and step down from his post? Tamrin: Abdul Hadi must go. The Malays say “kerana nila setitik rosak susu sebelanga” (the action of one person damages the entire party). But what I don’t understand is the party’s obsession with the concept of wala’ (loyalty to the leader). I used to ask them what is this wala’? Will you go to heavens for being loyal to your leader? I believe the only one who deserve absolute loyalty is to Allah. Q: Do you think Pas will leave Pakatan? Tamrin: They will, but they are not going to make the move. They want to be divorced by PKR and DAP. They want to be seen as the victim. So now (Pas central committee member and Ulama council member) Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz says that Pas has been bullied by PKR and DAP and other Ulamas have also come out in the open to “attack” the other parties. What they want is to be sacked from Pakatan. But honestly, you don’t go around telling the whole world that your wife is bad and yet you still stay in the relationship..for what? Get out of the relationship. I am not with the leadership of PKR and DAP but if you were in their shoes, what would you think of your “ally”? Q: Pas has also warned its members against taking part in Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa), an NGO aimed to convince Pas to stay in Pakatan. PasMa claimed Pas is “afraid” of its existence. What is your opinion on this? Tamrin: I think there is no reason for Pas to feel threatened by PasMa. Pas should be more open-minded. Why did the Syura Council ban Pas members from joining PasMa when it is just an NGO? Umno never stopped any of its members from being involved in NGOs. This only shows that Pas is not a democratic party. Q: How do you see the future of Pas? Tamrin: It’s time for the young professional leaders to take over the party, or else Pas will die a natural death. The likes of (central committee members) Khalid Samad and Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, they are good quality (leaders). The voters will return should these people lead the party. Pas used to be a conservative party but now there are not many conservatives anymore. The party should change with time to make it relevant to the well-informed voters. I left Umno because I lost hope in the party. It wasn’t easy to leave, I was criticised by my own siblings. But I didn’t expect Pas to turn out this way. Q: Will you join other political party? Or is there a possibility for you to return to Umno or Pas? Tamrin: Not yet.. I’m resting (from politics) for now. Q: You joined Pas when the party was already in Pakatan Rakyat. Does it mean you supported the pact and will continue to do so even after leaving Pas? Tamrin: I don’t support Pakatan Rakyat. I joined Pas because I believed in its so-called Islamic style of politics. I did not join Pas because I supported Pakatan, it just so happens that Pas is in the pact. Similarly, I was with Umno then because I trusted the party. But I did not support MCA or MIC.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 00:14:32 +0000
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