SHAH ALAM, Nov 24 — The elation Datuk Husam Musa felt today was blunted by a sharp pang of guilt over the loss suffered by his colleague, Datuk Mahfuz Omar, in the tight race for the Islamist party’s three vice-president seats.

Looking visibly stunned, Husam said in his closing speech that Mahfuz would have been the better man as a second-tier leader, after he beat the acting Kedah PAS commissioner by 16 votes.

“I am sad and touched that my comrade Mahfuz has slipped... He is much better than I am,” a weeping Husam said in his closing speech at PAS annual muktamar (conference) here.

The moment he ended his speech and left the stage, he was comforted in front of the 1,200-strong crowd by a massive hug from Mahfuz, who had earlier told reporters that he is already used to losing after several previous losses for the same posts before, after failing to defend his post against Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

In his closing speech, Tuan Ibrahim had also expressed his sorrow over Mahfuz’s loss, admitting that there are only spots for three vice-presidents.

Meanwhile, Mahfuz today refused to commit whether he would still be contesting the same post in the next internal polls.

The Pokok Sena MP said he would carry out his job as a federal opposition lawmaker, even as he expressed uncertainty that he could be re-elected the party’s Kedah commissioner.

“I am used to losing. I think I have lost three times already, fighting for vice-president and I lost,” Mahfuz told reporters here.

“Every time I contest a post, whether in party or in general elections, I have prepared myself spiritually if I lose. That’s why I am not bothered.”

After a close fight that saw a vote recount last night, PAS veteran favourite Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man emerged one of the Islamist party’s three vice-presidents today, unseating incumbent Mahfuz.

The other two incumbents Salahuddin Ayub and Datuk Husam Musa kept their posts, despite an intense challenge from another veteran, Datuk Abu Bakar Chik, seen aligned to the conservative ulama (Islamic clerics) faction.

Mahfuz denied today that his loss signalled the delegates’ call for separation of powers between federal and state party leaders, pointing out that Tuan Ibrahim is also the state commissioner for Pahang.

“It is a heavy responsibility to bear the duty of state commissioner... For me it will be decided by the party,” he added.

In the vice-president fight, Salahuddin garnered the highest number of votes at 917 votes from 1,086. Tuan Ibrahim got the second largest votes at 849, and Husam 520.

Mahfuz was narrowly edged out by Husam, receiving 504 votes. Abu Bakar Chik received only 364.

It is understood that Mahfuz will now be focusing on Kedah following his recent appointment as the northern state’s acting commissioner, after the death of its predecessor, the late Tan Sri Azizan Abdul Razak.

Azizan, who was also the Sungai Limau assemblyman, died in September from a serious heart complication, triggering a by-election which was subsequently won by PAS.

In the May polls, Mahfuz had won the Pokok Sena parliamentary seat in Kedah, defeating Umno’s Shahlan Ismail by a 3,935-vote majority.