PAS has leaders qualified to become prime minister, but the party will announce its candidate only when the time is right, says its deputy secretary-general Syahir Che Sulaiman.
Syahir, who is the Bachok MP, said the party had potential candidates at both parliamentary and state levels, including members of its central committee aged between their 40s and 60s.
He said the line-up demonstrated that PAS had leaders capable of taking on the country’s top government post.
Syahir added that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang might already have someone in mind for the position.
“There is only one reason PAS has yet to name its prime ministerial candidate: the time has not come. When the time is right, a better prime minister for Malaysia will emerge,” he said in a statement.
Questions over PAS’ choice of candidate
Syahir was responding to an FMT report quoting an analyst who said PAS’ reluctance to name a prime ministerial candidate had raised questions about who could win public confidence to lead the country.
International Islamic University Malaysia’s Syaza Shukri was quoted as saying the uncertainty could suggest that PAS lacked confidence in putting Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar forward as its leading candidate.
Samsuri is also a PAS vice-president and Perikatan Nasional chairman.
PAS points to its state leaders
Syahir cited the appointment of four PAS menteri besar as evidence of the party’s leadership capabilities: Samsuri in Terengganu, Sanusi Nor in Kedah, Nassuruddin Daud in Kelantan and Shukri Ramli in Perlis.
He said the party had selected them based on their qualifications and abilities rather than because they had sought the positions.
“They are qualified and capable, and most importantly have never asked for their positions,” Syahir said.
