KOTA BARU: PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has been taken to task over his reported call to party members involved in the general election to forgo their haj pilgrimage this year.

“I think Tuan Ibrahim is jumping the gun,” said Kelantan PAS deputy commissioner II Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, adding that the general election had yet to be announced.

He said Tuan Ibrahim’s call was unnecessary, and that it was the information chief’s personal view and not the party’s stand.

“Even if the election was held during the haj month, there is still time to carry out the haj,” Mohd Amar said at the opening of a new building for the Maahad Tahfiz Ar-Rahman by Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat at Kubang Kerian, near here, yesterday.

Tuan Ibrahim had reportedly said in a posting on selangorku.com on June 5 that it was necessary for those involved in the general election to defer their pilgrimage because PAS needed its election machinery to carry out its tasks.

He reportedly said the party had monitored developments in the country and gathered that the general election would be held during the haj season, which runs between Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Aidiladha.

He blamed the Government for the uncertainty and trouble caused to the rakyat for its alleged delay in fixing the polls date.

Tuan Ibrahim’s comments were carried in the rbfonline.net portal on Monday and in Utusan Malaysia yesterday, with accompanying brickbats from various Islamic scholars.

Mohd Amar, who is state Islamic Development, Education and Dakwah Committee chairman, admitted Umno was working hard in preparing for the general election and that PAS was in danger of losing some seats.

PAS has 38 seats in the 45-seat Kelantan state assembly, with the rest held by Umno, under the Barisan Nasional banner (six) and PKR (one).

In KUALA LUMPUR, Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said Tuan Ibrahim should retract his statement and apologise to the prospective haj pilgrims.

“It is as though he is putting the election before religious matters. This is not right. We should not put our party or politics before our faith,” Ahmad said after presenting a paper at the Wassatiyyah and 1Malaysia Concept Seminar at the Works Ministry yesterday.

“Maybe, PAS is afraid it will lose Kedah and Kelantan,” he said.

The remarks by Tuan Ibrahim comes not long after a group of pro-Bersih pilgrims demonstrated in Medina and Mecca while performing their umrah.

The Saudi government, which is the custodian of the two holy cities of Islam, did not take kindly to the demonstrations and told Malaysia to be prepared to see the number of haj pilgrims from Malaysia cut... - STARONLINE

MALAYSIA NEWS PAS HAJ GENERAL ELECTION