PAS has formed a new wing movement called Assabiqun in a bid to keep PAS veterans in the party.

The wing aims to bring together PAS veterans and former leaders with current party members and leaders in efforts to strengthen the Islamist party. 

“Youth leading the party at present need to have closer ties to seniors in the struggle,” Assabiqun chairman Subky Abdul Latif said during the wing’s launch in Kelantan last night. 

The event was officiated by Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob. 

Subky, a veteran journalist, is also a former Youth chief and central committee member, as well as former PAS commissioner in the Federal Territory. 

PAS polls in 2015 saw the ulama camp sweeping almost all positions in the party. 

This caused severals party veterans, such as Mohamad Sabu and Salahuddin Ayub, to quit the party to form Amanah, now a component party in the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition. 

Since Amanah’s formation, several other senior leaders have left PAS due to differences in opinion with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who is the head of the ulama group. 

They include Kedah opposition leader cum Anak Bukit assemblyman Amiruddin Hamzah, who relinquished his position as PAS Kuala Kedah president to join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) on November 26 and former vice-president Husam Musa. 

Now another former PAS vice-president, Mahfuz Omar, is expected to resign from PAS to become an independent MP. – December 31, 2017.