By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — The visit by PAS religious scholar council chief, Datuk Harun Taib, to the house of Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin recently has sparked rumours about the possibility of the former Perlis mufti joining the Islamist party soon.
A blog had also published a photo of Harun’s visit to Asri’s house in Penang, claiming that the PAS leader was there to invite the latter to join PAS.
Asri today confirmed the visit and invitation to join the Islamist party.
“I would take it as an invitation but I have not made up my mind,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
His participation in PAS would boost the image of the Islamist party, which has been rocked by infighting between the progressive and conservative camps.
Asri, known for his “forward thinking” and independence from the status quo, may well be a vote-puller especially among the more moderate Malay and the non-Malay electorates.
But the decision to join PAS may not sit well with certain quarters, which allegedly includes former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
An online news portal reported yesterday that Asri, purported to have a close relationship with Dr Mahathir, had met with him and asked for his opinion on the invitation.
The report further said that Dr Mahathir had objected to the idea and pleaded with Asri to remain nonpartisan.
Asri when asked about the meet only said that he “maintains good relations with all parties” and refused to comment further on the matter.
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We should be cautious if he might become one of the pro-Ulama/UMNO/Malay Nationalist gang of Hadi/Nasha/Mustapha.
I think it is best for Asri to stay out of politics.