Grassroots leaders met by FMT also mooted Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor, PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden, and Bachok MP Syahir Che Sulaiman as credible candidates for the top post.
Party delegates rejected claims that PAS lacks capable leaders who are adept at administration.
“They are all qualified. Even if we’re not necessarily discussing the prime ministerial candidate for the 16th general election (GE16), they are certainly worthy of being highlighted in the upcoming elections.
“The perception that PAS is merely a party of religious scholars with no suitable leaders to govern (the country) is wrong,” Segambut delegate Amir Shamiz Zainudin told FMT.
He said the party’s leadership has proven itself, as PAS was once only associated with Kelantan, but now leads the administration in Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis too. He added that this showed the increasing confidence the people have in PAS leaders.
However, Amir acknowledged that so far, Samsuri is the party’s leading candidate for the prime minister post, given his credentials and “outstanding” performance in governing Terengganu.
Ezwan Rafiq Husin, a delegate from Tebrau, said that Sanusi also deserves consideration for the post given his strong leadership as PAS and Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) election director as well as his relatability with the public.
“In PAS, we have various levels of discussion and we are not short of candidates. Aside from Samsuri, others are equally capable.
“Some say Sanusi is a fitting choice for prime minister,” he said during the 65th PAS Youth Assembly at the Al-Makmur Complex in Kerdau.
Meanwhile, Wan Ahmad Fathi Wan Abdullah, a delegate from Kubang Kerian, expressed his support for Samsuri as a prime ministerial candidate, saying he was the “complete package”.
“He’s well-educated, eloquent, and accepted by the people. He also served as political secretary to PAS president Hadi Awang for a long time. But in PAS, our leaders don’t chase after positions, so they don’t fully showcase their abilities until officially selected,” he said.
Anas Al-Kautsar Zaini, a delegate from Larut said that whoever is chosen by PAS’s leadership as the prime ministerial candidate will be accepted, even though various views have been expressed about who is more qualified.
Previously, Samsuri, who is also Kemaman MP, was touted as a potential future PN prime ministerial candidate, a prospect acknowledged by coalition chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin made this statement while campaigning for Samsuri during the Kemaman by-election last year.
The coalition was believed to have placed the Rhu Redang assemblyman as its candidate for the vacant Kemaman parliamentary seat with a view towards increasing his profile at the national level ahead of GE16.