PAS open to all members contesting in six state elections

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has stated that all party members, including Muafakat Nasional President Annuar Musa, are eligible to become candidates in the six states facing elections this year. The party is yet to finalise its list of candidates, but Takiyuddin expects a decision to be made next week.

“Any PAS member has the right to be a candidate and must be able to win. Everyone is eligible, and we have not decided yet. The shortlist is already there and of course; we will combine old and new candidates. All areas already have candidates, but we now want to determine the candidate who can give victory to the party,” Takiyuddin said.

Regarding the prospects of Perikatan Nasional (PN) winning all six states in the upcoming election, Takiyuddin expressed cautious optimism, particularly for the three states not currently under PN administration: Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Penang. “We imagine having good hopes, but we need to work hard to ensure victory is ours,” he said.

Annuar Musa, the former Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general, remarked that he should be considered the last choice as a PAS candidate in the next PRN. He emphasised that his personal participation is not crucial and that he joined PAS to fight for the interests of religion and the Malay nation, not merely as a candidate.

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t contest, as long as Umno doesn’t win. If given a mandate to contest, I need to discuss with the PAS leadership, to find out for what purpose I have been entrusted to do so. If not, you can just give opportunities to young people or candidates among PAS members who have been with this party for a long time, after all, I am still new in PAS,” Annuar said.

Annuar’s decision to join PAS was not an easy one, given his 50-year dedication to Umno. On June 10, Takiyuddin accepted Annuar’s membership along with 3,000 other new members. Takiyuddin revealed that PAS has received nearly 20,000 new members from January to May this year, with an average of 3,000 to 4,000 individuals from various age groups wanting to join the party each month.

“The momentum of the entry of new members is increasing, especially through programmes held by PAS, including in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. The people always show that they want to be with us. PAS has always been open to accepting anyone who wants to join without any coercion, as long as they meet the conditions,” Takiyuddin said.