KUALA LUMPUR: The decision by Pas to appoint two sacked Umno leaders to sit in the Islamist party's central committee for the new 2023/2025 term garnered mixed reactions among political observers, with one of them surprised by such a development.
Universiti Malaya political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfiq Yaakub questioned if both former Umno leaders met the necessary qualifications and obtained the respect required among Pas grassroot members to be given the posts.
Commenting on the appointment of Arau member of Parliament Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and former Ketereh MP Tan Sri Annuar Musa as Pas central committee members, Tawfiq described such a move as nothing but an effort by the Islamist party to weaken the support towards Umno.
"This is such a surprising development and the appointment has an impact on the perception among Pas members who have long been indoctrinated to reject Umno leaders in their struggles.
"To my knowledge, for a party that is strong in its 'tarbiyah' (nurturing) such as Pas, a person has to undergo certain procedures before they are qualified to be appointed as a leader in the party.
"The move is perhaps a strategy in its attempt to lure support from the people to subsequently weaken Umno."
Tawfiq reckoned that Pas should not have rushed into appointing Shahidan and Annuar as committee members of the party.
"The central committee is also one of the important bodies in the party.
"Pas should give ample time and opportunity to test the loyalty and honesty of these two leaders before appointing them as committee members."
Another political analyst Dr Ainul Adzellie Hasnul believed otherwise when he said both Shahidan and Annuar have demonstrated their loyalty towards Pas including during the recent by-elections, six state elections on Aug 12 and the 15th General Election in November last year.
Unlike Tawfiq, Ainul was not surprised by the appointment since Shahidan and Annuar have been critical in their comments against Umno.
"Both of them (Shahidan and Annuar) have their own influence and followings (in the country's political scene.
"They have also proven their commitment towards Pas and the allies of the Islamist party in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact," he said.
Asked if this development would have a negative impact on Umno in its bid to restore support from the Malays, Ainul responded in the negative.
"Their appointments will give a slight advantage to Pas. However, I do not think such a development will have any significant impact on Umno since the party has moved on (from its past episodes involving Shahidan and Annuar)," he said.
It was reported that Annuar and Shahidan were among nine people appointed into the Pas central committee members for the 2023/2025 term.
Pas secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, in a statement on Monday night, said that the appointments were made during the party's committee meeting.