KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat chided fellow party member Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Aziz today for labelling dissenters as “barua”, or lackeys, recently.

According to a report by Malay news portal Sinar Online, Suhaizan said that Nik Abduh’s remark has widened the so-called schism in the party, and was unbecoming of his position in the party.

“It is better to bring PAS forward. This thing is too small to be brought up,” Suhaizan told Sinar Online.

“There is no concept of labelling towards other groups or members in PAS. We want to unify everybody under the party.”

On Sunday, Malay daily Sinar Harian quoted Nik Abduh as saying that there exists a group of “barua”, or lackeys, in the party who put loyalty towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR) above PAS.

Nik Abduh claimed the group was trying to separate the ideologies of PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and late spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who was also Nik Abduh’s father, but did not elaborate.

A new rift was formed in PAS after some members accused top leaders of trying to overthrow Abdul Hadi, with deputy president Mohamad Sabu and elections director Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli alleged to be conspirators.

Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) — a critical pressure group within the Islamist party — has also been targeted, after its powerful Syura Council banned members from joining it.

PAS leaders including Research Centre chief operation officer Dr Mohd Zuhdi Marzuki and Perak commissioner Razman Zakaria have since openly called for dissenting members to leave and form a new party.

In response, PAS Youth said yesterday that such calls were “shameful” and akin to admitting that the party’s preaching and indoctrination bureaus have failed in their recruitment drives.