A stitch in time saves nine. Perhaps, this idiom didn’t come to Hasan Ali’s mind until the epochs leading up to 8 January 2012 – the date when PAS, a party which he is a member of for 13 years, severed all ties with him.

It all started back in August last year when the then Selangor executive councilor in charge of the Islamic Affairs, Malay Customs, Infrastructure and Public Amenities, created a furor when he spoke out in support of a controversial raid on an event at Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC). He then went off on a rampage by publicly criticizing the state government and revealed how PAS leadership tried to persuade him to soften his stance and just follow the directives of Pakatan. Apparently, Pakatan was unhappy with his allegation that there were efforts to convert Malays in Selangor to Christianity.

Hasan later claimed 72 percent of the party's leadership is now controlled by the secular group "who are in collusion with DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)". He said the rest of the leadership comprised religious scholars who are willing to ignore the original struggle of the party to support opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, whose ambition is to conquer Putrajaya in the 13th General Election. He also accused PAS of deviating from its original struggle and hat it would continue to be deviated if it remains in Pakatan Rakyat.

Finally, on 8 January, PAS’ central working committee decided that they had enough of Hasan and sacked him from the party for "persistently going against (its) stand”. He was also dismissed from the state exco. However, PAS said that Hasan can appeal against his dismissal though he refused to take up the offer.

The former PAS vice president later laid out five strong reasons why he’s sticking to his decision of not appealing against his sacking.


• PAS has abandoned its original struggle to form an Islamic state and replaced it with a concept of a Welfare State, which can be implemented in any secular country with any system or political practice.
When PAS announced its swift changes and adaptation towards Welfare State a lot of comments were heard and most politics analyst believes that this changes was made to accommodate DAP’s whim.

• PAS has often taken for granted by its partners in the opposition pact, especially DAP, which has gone to the extent of boldly rejecting PAS' Islamic state concept.

• PAS is too eager to take over Putrajaya to the extent of sacrificing Islam and collaborating with DAP which is clearly "an enemy of Islam."
Hasan said PAS leadership must improve themselves and make an "Islah" or a reform as the current principles upheld by the party were simply wrong.

• The minds of ulama have been corrupted by the presence of 70 percent of "parasites" in its top leadership with political interests other than, and different from, the original PAS' vision.
When PAS collaborates with DAP and PKR, PAS cannot form the Islamic state. Anwar Ibrahim, who is PKR de facto leader, doesn't seem to be interested.

• The loyalty of PAS elected representatives in Parliament is more towards Anwar Ibrahim, by giving huge attention to the opposition leader when he speaks in Parliament but the same level of attention has not been accorded to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.


Given at the rate Hassan Ali’s comments, is his sacking will be the silver bullet for Umno to retain its power in 13th General Election. At the same time, Hasan had been accused of harboring ambitions of becoming the Selangor Mentri Besar. With the recent establishment of his ‘third force’ – JATI, Hasan has predicted that a "small tsunami" would hit the national political arena. He believes that the presence of the third force will become more dominant and big enough to launch a system of movement which is much needed in the country. He said JATI's supporters who have strong credentials might contest for seats that BN had lost in 2008 by a huge margin and that his newly founded NGO will be BN-friendly if victorious.

Well, honestly, one swallow doesn’t make a summer. However, I don’t think JATI will impact BN that much but Hasan’s sacking has shown how unsteady Pakatan is. As such, the Hasan factor is a ‘thorn in the flesh’ for PAS and Pakatan as his handiwork may just be the winning weapon for Barisan Nasional in the run-up to the pivotal General Election.

*The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer.