The radicals and extremists have long left the party, PAS deputy president says

PAS deputy president Idris Ahmad has denied the continuous allegations that the party is made up of radical and ultra religious individuals, saying those people have long abandoned the party's struggle.

Speaking at the Selangor Perikatan Nasional Election Convention in Shah Alam today, he said the party is now led by a leader who is neutral in thinking and leadership, referring to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

"Since the past, whenever various reforms, processions and such took place, Tuan Guru Haji Hadi said it could be done.

"But there are limits," he said.

Idris also recalled PAS refusing to participate in the fourth iteration of the Bersih rally in August 2015, which saw a decline in attendance compared to its previous iterations. 

He said PAS was the party that mobilised the public and participants at the grassroots level, adding that participants from rural areas such as Jeli, Gua Musang and Baling took a month to gather funds to participate in the demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur.

"Some said PAS likes to brand others as infidels. The individuals concerned, too, have left the party.

"They also tried to portray PAS as a party that cannot befriend others.

"Two days ago, the home minister who is also my friend from university warned the opposition to stay away from sensitive issues involving the 3R (religion, royalty and race)," he said, referring to the statement by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail cautioning political parties against engaging in 3R-style politics.

However, Idris questioned what the problem was if the opposition raises issues related to religion, race or the power of the Malay rulers, as these matters are clearly stated in the Federal Constitution.

This includes Islam as the religion of the federation and Article 153 which grants special privileges to the Malays.

"They know they are backward when it comes to this issue," he said.