Kelantan PAS still mulling necessity of baiah oath

Kelantan PAS is still mulling the necessity of requiring its election candidates to utter the baiah oath of allegiance.

However, state commissioner Ahmad Yakob said the matter would still depend on the decision by the PAS syura council.

“We still believe there is a necessity. But we don’t know what the political situation after the 14th general election will be.

“Yes, it is the most challenging (general election). We still cannot really see whether there is a necessity (for the baiah) or otherwise,” he told reporters after a programme in Kota Bharu today.

The Kelantan menteri besar was asked whether Kelantan PAS will continue with its practice of requiring candidates to utter the baiah.

The baiah imposed by Kelantan PAS requires lawmakers to divorce their wives with three counts of talak (divorce pronouncements) if they ever leave the party.

It was recently reported that PAS was confident with its members’ loyalty,  and would no longer require them to take oaths that involve them divorcing their wives.

The party’s ulama wing chief Mahfodz Mohamed (photo) said the contents of the baiah will be adjusted accordingly in all states, and will not involve the issue of divorce.

This, he added, was because PAS no longer faced dangers equivalent to those seen in Kelantan’s political past.

Meanwhile, Ahmad stressed that the party leadership was not merely focused on becoming election candidates, but to continue the Islamic dakwah legacy as khalifah (vicegerents).

“We have taught PAS members to persevere and be consistent in any kind of situation,” he said.

Potential candidates

Meanwhile, Kelantan PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari confirmed that 15 names of potential election candidates have been submitted to the party's central leadership.

Fadhli (photo) said the names also include both male and female candidates who are not necessarily under the PAS Youth wing.

“This is to fulfill the inspiration of young Kelantanese who make up almost 50 percent of voters, that’s why we suggested that young candidates are fielded.

“But we are not putting any pressure on the party leadership, because we are confident that they can see how defending the state is most important," he said.- Mkini