SHAH ALAM: Pas has acknowledged and moved on from "past episodes" involving the Islamist party and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Party president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang emphasised that Islam teaches Muslims not to harbour excessive hatred for those who have wronged them.
"People change, the same goes for politics.
"Islam does not teach Muslims to love another human being excessively. At the same time, our religion does not teach us to hate someone (who has wronged them) excessively.
"In some situations, the person who we hate to see their faces will turn out to be someone who we will in turn help us. This is the change that is taking place around the world," he told reporters after attending the launching of the party's 69th Muktamar (general assembly) at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) here today.
Abdul Hadi, who is the Marang member of Parliament, was asked if Pas had already accepted and forgotten the party's previous rivalries and disagreements with Dr Mahathir following the latter's maiden appearance at the party's muktamar today.
Apart from Pas top leaders, also present during the opening ceremony of the muktamar included Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the coalition secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau.
Among foreign dignitaries who attended today's event was Ambassador of Palestine to Malaysia Walid A M Abu Ali.
To another question, Abdul Hadi alluded that Pas would unlikely field Dr Mahathir to represent the party during the Kemaman parliamentary by-election.
"No. That is not reasonable," he said, adding that Pas had yet to decide its candidates for the by-election in Kemaman.
Pas secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan yesterday said the party would likely announce its candidate for the Kemaman by-election before the nomination day on Nov 18.
It was previously reported that the Election Commission (EC) had fixed Dec 2 as polling day for the Kemaman by-election.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh said the commission also set Nov 18 as nomination day and Nov 28 for early voting.
The by-election was necessitated after the Terengganu Election Court, on Sept 26, nullified the victory of Che Alias Hamid from Pas during the 15th General Election (GE15).
In GE15, held in November last year, Che Alias won the seat in a four-cornered contest that also involved Datuk Seri Ahmad Said of Barisan Nasional, Hasuni Sudin of Pakatan Harapan, and Rosli Ab Ghani of Pejuang.