Hassan Ali - should he stay or should he go?

KUALA LUMPUR: Beleaguered Pas leader Datuk Hassan Ali who face suggestions that he leaves and join Umno has found an unlikely "ally".

Pas Selangor deputy commissioner Khalid Samad a strong critic of Hassan has urged the former to remain in the party.

“Hassan has his own strong point in the party. It would be better if he is with Pas but he must observe and obey the rules of the party,” Khalid (pic) said.

“There is always room of discussion for us and the party is willing to listen to him as well. Hasan should not be acting freely to do what he likes when he is a Pas member,” he added. 

Another Pas leader who shared Khalid's sentiments is its youth chief Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi who said he believed Hassan should stay and continue upholding Islam with Pas.

“I would want not Hassan to run away from the party and continue with his cause in championing Islamic matter in Selangor,” Nasruddin added.

He said Pas is the best platform for Hassan to do so and hoped Hassan would be wise enough to handle the differences of opinion in the party.

“What is more important is how we can sort out our differences,” Nasruddin added.

Claiming the whole issue of Hassan Ali and Pas were being exaggerated in the blogosphere, Nasruddin said as long as Hassan is a member of the party, he would continue to lend the support for the Selangor exco.

While Khalid and Nasruddin are keen to keep Hassan in the party, Pas vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar had taken a less accommodating stance, saying it is up to Hassan to leave the party for Umno.

Mahfuz said: "Pas practised democracy and freedom for its member to choose what is best for them."

Spicing up the issue, Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali was quoted in a news report as saying that both Hassan and the party’s former vice president Nasharuddin Mat Isa were trapped in Umno’s political game.

Blogger Amin Iskandar predicted the issue pertaining Hassan and Nasharuddin would continue to be played up for the next general elections by rival parties.

Hassan when contacted said he would hold a press conference some time next week to clear the air on the matter.

Source: MOLE