Husam: A moral challenge for PAS delegates

Dato' Husam Musa was a rising star in PAS when he won the vice President post in 2007 to come out with the highest vote. It was the party's acknowledgement for the good work of this golden boy of Kelantan Menteri Besar and Spiritual Leader for PAS, Tuan Guru Dato Nik Aziz bin Nik Mat and leading personality of the pro-Anwar Erdogan faction.

That was until he got bolder and challenged incumbent Deputy President Nasharudin Md Isa in 2009 based on his opposition to the Unity Government (UG) issue.

Husam openly criticised certain party leaders and blamed them for the UG idea. This did not go well with delegates. All along, UG was subtly a subject of discussion at the 2008 Muktamar and within the party political committees.

Consequently, he was left idle in the political wilderness. That same year, Kelantan candidates were totally wiped out in the party polls.

Husam is back in the race this year but this time, vying for Vice Presidency. Candidate personality weigh heavily in this year's election. Performance and credibility balanced by their popularity in the party will be some of the criteria delegates will look for.

Tainted with much controversies in the past two years, this time around choosing Husam will be a moral challenge for PAS.

Election


PAS Muktamar or the party's Annual Convention begin on Friday, June 3rd, 2011 and will be on till Sunday June 5th.

Unique to the election this year, it is neither an intense and serious factional confrontation between the Ulamak against Erdogan, nor driven by issues such unity government as in the pasts.

That means the main determinant for this year's election lies squarely on the candidate. Performance will be an important yardstick of delegates. There is also the dilemma between credibility and popularity.

Mat Sabu came in again as a serious contender against incumbent Nasharuddin. Despite his popularity, he may fail again due to the credibility factor.

However, this time around Nasharuddin may not be able to ward off attempts to unseat him. Another pro-Ulamak candidate, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man may come out as the new Deputy President.

This may weigh heavily in the Vice President's race. Husam's and former Perak Menteri Besar, Dato Seri Nizar Jamaluddin's entry into the Vice President race has made life uneasy for incumbents Salahuddin Ayub and Datuk Mahfuz Omar.

There are also another Kelantan exco member, Datuk Nik Amar Nik Abdullah and PAS Information Chief, Idris Ahmad to content with.

Husam's justification to contest was that Kelantan needs to be represented in the party hierarchy. Despite Nik Aziz's campaign for Kelantan candidates, the choice will only mean it is either him or Nik Amar.

The bigger challenge for Husam is his image. During his time in the political wilderness, Husam's image was splashed with the same red ink that hit on Ariffahmi. The expose of the various wrongdoings of Arifffahmi in Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kelantan Berhad (PMBK) and his questionable appointment leads back to Husam.

His role in PMBK is only as member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the plantation subsidiary, PMBK Sawit Sdn Bhd (PMBK Sawit) but his illegal and unethical workings and failings have began to surface.

Thus far, Husam has been able to cover and ward off his critics. Will he this time?

Lieutenants

This blogger obtained set of documents containing Husam's network of cronies and lieutenant. This is only an opportunistic time to release this information.

All these while, pro-UMNO bloggers have mistakenly enlisted Husam's lieutenants as cronies. The inner circle remains elusive to those outside the party.

Before the 12th General Election, Saifuddin Nasution (pix on the left), currently a key player in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) was being touted as Husam's crony and inner circle. However, he was still considered as an operational front man to run the Tok Kenali Trust Foundation.

If one remembers, his membership in PKR was being questioned when Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim took him into PKR to play the role of Director of Strategy. He was then still a PAS member.

There is former TV3, Abdul Razak Ghani (pix on the right) who is now the General Manager of PMBK Sawit Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of PMBK.

Husam is the Chairman of PMBK Sawit but Razak is still not considered within the inner circle.

Syed Azidi (pix on right) or the popular blogger known as Kickdefella was doing Husam's communication and propaganda worked but paid by PMBK. That was until he was sacked by Ariffahmi last year.

There were talks today that he is remains associated with Husam. Words believed to have emanated from a rival candidate camp claimed that Syed Azidi met Husam in China and was given RM300,000 to run Husam's campaign.

Husam's special officer, Kamalrulzaman Abdullah (pix on the left) denied the allegation and claimed such allegation was merely UMNO's game.

Kamalrulzaman is another of Husam's lieutenant. He was a former staff in the IT Division of Universiti Sains Malaysia and held a PAS Youth position in Penang. He left his job to join Husam.

Kamarulzaman handles Husam's personal organic farming venture under a company called Sunnah Tani Sdn Bhd (Sunnah Tani). However, his monthly salary of RM5,000 is being paid by PMBK Sawit.

Kamalrulzaman and another Husam's lieutenant, Mohd Nuri (pix on the left) represents Husam on the board of Directors of Sunnah Tani.

Nuri is an ex-teacher of PASTI and like Kamalrulzaman, earns salary from PMBK Sawit. In a common modus operandi with that of Kamarulzaman and Shieh Azidi, his job not related to PMBK Sawit but to take care of Husam's Salor state constituency.

Mohd Khir Zahri Abdul Ghani is the current Director for Tok Kenali Trust Fund. He is lietenant handling Husam's political affair including the welfare of his lieutenants.

Khir plays an important role in Husam's current campaign for Vice President. Husam have been away in India and China throughout the campaign to avoid allegations of money politics and being seen as overzealous in his campaign.

Finally, there is Asmawi, who manages an event management company to handle Husam's programs in Kuala Lumpur. Husam finances the company.

These lieutenants received money to run their assigned operation. However they are not involved directly in negotiation and obtaining money from third parties on behalf of Husam. That is left to the inner circle of cronies.

Inner Circle and It's Working

Highest in Husam pecking order is Haji Hashim Omar (pix on the left). He is a former PAS state assemblyman from Kelantan and resides in Kota Baru.

Hashim can be described as Husam's trusted banker and runner to collect for Husam the "commissions" from projects or "donations" from businessman able to secure state projects with Husam's help.

All the monies are in cash. Monies in the form of cheques are banked into the account of Telda Corporation Sdn Bhd. Hashim keeps the monies till a verbal instruction from Husam to deliver the money to certain individuals.

Together handling Telda Corporation is Husam's key man in PAS Kubang Kerian, Nazri Deraman (pix on the right). He is a Manager with Perbadanan Bandar Baru Tunjang.

Another person is Abdul Rasul bin Mohamad from Pasir Mas. He is a close friend and partner of Hashim.

Hashim was instrumental in hiding Kickdefella in Yala for a month when police were looking for him for the offense of inverting the Malaysian flag. During the investigation on Global Media Channel by MACC last year, Husam instructed Hashim to hide in Yala.

Hashim is also involved in fronting outfit, Kelantan Research Institute of Strategic Studies (KRISS) and company Agarwood Industry (Kelantan) Sdn Bhd.

Senator Dato Ahmad Rosli Ibrahim (pix on the right) has been Husam's well kept secret. He was the former Secretary for UMNO Kelantan that left to join PAS and have been maintained by Husam.

His cordial relationship with the palace, specifically the former Raja Perempuan Kelantan enable him to be Husam's go-between for projects involving the palace.

During the time the former Sultan of Kelantan was in Singapore undergoing treatment, Rosli was the bridge between the Raja Perempuan and Kelantan Government, specifically Husam.

Rosli benefited from the awarded timber concession using the not quite functional KRISS as pass through outfit and him being a major contributor.

KRISS was purchased at undisclosed price from Dato' Ibrahim Ali, who run under PAS ticket in the last general election.

KRISS undertake some research work for Husam but it is the money cleansing mechanism for money to Rosli. Dr Mohamad Hanapi bin Mohamad is believed to run teh research operation.

Husam's trusted man for his oil palm operation at PMBK Sawit Sdn Bhd is Haji Ramli Abu Bakar, it's Managaing Director. He is a former PAS state assemblymen.

Ramli is the person entrusted on land matter as in to identify and to apply for land approvals. He knows much of Husam's secret dealings in land and timber and that is the reason Husam keeps him around.

Ramli managed the purchase of a building for Global Media Channel Sdn Bhd for RM1 million on behalf of Yayasan Khumus Bhd but the money did not come from the Foundation but from a black op fund kept by a lawyer.

Other names involved in Yayasan Khumus are Mohd Zamzuri bin Mat Lazim (pix on the right), Wan Yusoff bin Wan Mustafa and Mustaffa bin Haji Salleh.

Between 2005 to 2008, Global Media Channel Sdn Bhd received money to finance TV PAS. It was used to purchase technical equipment worth more than RM1 million.

Husam important man in media game is former Editor in chief of Harakah, Zulkifli Sulong. He is the man behind the opposition political tabloid, Siasah.

In addition, Husam controls the tabloid Wasilah, controlled through a company Hasrat Tinta Sdn Bhd. He bought it for more than RM3 million and financed by black money kept by Hashim. The company is fronted by Mohamad Nuri@Nuri bin Mat Yaacob and Mohd Noor bin Mat Yajid.

Another inner circle of Husam involves the brothers of Abdul Latiff (pix on the left) and Ahmad Shukri Abdul Rahman. Latiff is the PAS Youth leader for Kelantan and Shukri is his elder brother living in Kuala Lumpur.

Husam helped to revive and finance their family's foundation under their father's name and changed it to become Akademi Pembangunan Keluarga Bahagia Bhd. (Akademi). They survive as recipient of Husam's fund raising effort through the same "commissions" and "donation."

Shukri Rahman can be described as Husam's ATM machine in Kuala Lumpur. He takes care after Husam's affair in Kuala Lumpur; his accomodation, transport, and clothing.

Shukri is seldom introduced by Husam as Consultant. He is seldom seem in Husam's overseas entourage in business discussion involving state government. In addition, he is also involved in Yayasan Khumus.

The Akademi is the conduit to finance a company called Jihad Ternak Sdn Bhd, managed by another of Husam's crony, Zulkifli Yaacob (pix on the right).

Jihad Ternak was given RM3 million from the Akademi but is now embroiled in a dispute due to their attempt to cheat the state Government.

The company has since lost the exclusive rights to supply goats for the Jihad ternak project for Kelantan.

There is also Zaidi Hassan (pix on the left), a close friend and within Husam's inner circle from Salor. He was assigned to undertake the gaharu wood venture through Agarwood.

The company had received more than RM1 million to pay for the technology transfer agreement from Thailand. The running cost of the operation is borne by Hashim through the black operation of Telda Corporation.

Zaidi is asssisted in Agarwood by his close friend from Pasir Mas, Rahimi Yusof and Rasul.

Failures and Money Politics

Last year, Husam's operation was busted wide open but details are still lacking. However, Husam is no more seen as a man with the Midas touch. It exposed problems in all companies he is involved.

This article in MyKMU here described the problems faced by Global Media Channel, PMBK Sawit, and Jihad Ternak.

Husam was exposed to have collected money from such companies as Cam Contract Work Sdn Bhd and SBJ Development Sdn Bhd and in projects such as the building of the water treatment plant at Merbau Chondong in Machang.

Througout 2006 to 2008 alone, Husam had financed an amount more than RM20 million to various names through money provided by his cronies and other individuals. One such individual is one lawyer by the name of Nordin bin Nor.

Undoubtedly, Husam was a slick operator and not easy to catch. MACC will have a tough time to pin it on him since nearly all the money did not land in Husam's hand. He remote controlled the flow of money.

Is this not dirty money politics flowing within PAS political and economic operations?

PAS will have to grappled with this moral issue of corruption, commission taking and abuse of power should they decide to vote Husam. They will lose the moral high ground to criticise and play their check and balance role to UMNO.

Updated: June 2nd 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM