TV PAKATAN RAKYAT

Datuk Hasan Ali refused today to state if his loyalties lie with PAS and Pakatan Rakyat (PR), stating instead he was only loyal to Allah and would cooperate with anyone championing Islam. The former Selangor PAS chief was removed from his post earlier this year after continued infighting which has continued, most recently with reports that the Gombak Setia assemblyman may be dropped from contesting the next general elections. The state executive councillor in charge of Islamic affairs said he was committed to uphold Islam, Malays and the institution of Malay monarchs.

“I am loyal to Allah. To mankind, in this context, I don’t like to use the term loyal, but cooperate. Closely cooperating to help them and they help me,” he told a press conference when asked if he would remain loyal to his party and coalition if they upheld the same principles. Hasan (picture) also said he would let “time and circumstance and my Islamic thinking” determine his course of action if PAS did not select him as an election candidate. “Anyone that brings Islam forward, I will support. It is not easy for anyone to leave any organisation based on Islam except if these three things are not defended,” he added.

He said it did not matter whether he was a candidate or not as “these obstacles will only make me more determined” in the fight to defend Islam. “I don’t need Selangor PAS to recognise me or even the PAS president to recognise me. I don’t need DAP or PKR to like me. What I need is Allah likes me,” he added. PAS denied yesterday Utusan Malaysia’s report that Hasan and former deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa will be dropped as candidates as discussions on candidates have not begun. Quoting unnamed sources, the Malay daily said he will be “removed” by Selangor PAS, with blessings from the PAS central committee.

The report follows Selangor PAS information chief Shaari Sungib’s remarks, published in several blogs, that Hassan did not garner enough nominations from PAS branches in the state. Hasan also said today he will be “loyal to any organisation and willing to work together on these three messages” when asked about PAS-Umno merger efforts in the name of Islamic and Malay unity. Widely seen as a religious conservative, Hasan has been at odds with the ruling Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government’s seemingly liberal policies on several occasions, most notably his push for a beer sale ban in the country’s most developed state earlier this year.

Utusan Malaysia last week sought to paint Hasan as the maker of an elusive match between Umno and PAS, claiming he was seen as a unifying factor for the Malay community in Selangor. The Umno-owned newspaper said the award of the “Datuk Paduka” title to Hasan over the weekend will play a role in “marrying” Umno and PAS. Since Election 2008, Umno has made repeated overtures to the Islamic party, claiming that a unification would guarantee the Malay community’s hold on political power. But PAS has repeatedly snubbed the efforts and expressed its commitment towards PR and their common aim to oust Umno and Barisan Nasional from Putrajaya. ~themalaysianinsider.com~