KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — The progressive faction in PAS that was focused on reforming Malaysia ultimately paid for their ambition when they were nearly wiped out in the Islamist party’s polls, said a political analyst.

Dr Maszlee Malik noted that the progressives’ focus on reform cost them their party positions as the may have been too engrossed to engage in the squabbling and politicking needed for them to defend their posts.

Unlike the religiously conservative members of the rival Ulama faction, the progressive leaders of PAS are often the conduit of the party’s message to outsiders, and frequently the bridge between the party and its own allies in Pakatan Rakyat.

But despite pointing out their misstep, Maszlee also lauded the progressives as having a greater role to play in Malaysia than their party.

“Their great mistake that led to their loss is their big vision and relentless commitment for political and economic reform of the country since the first day they stepped into politics. It was a worth price to pay, though.

“I hope somebody else would find them useful and appreciate their effort for a better cause. Malaysians need them more than PAS,”  the political analyst with International Islamic University Malaysia told Malay Mail Online.

At the end of a bitter campaign, PAS’s ulama leaders and those aligned to them virtually wiped out their progressive rivals, sweeping up all but one central working committee spot in the party’s leadership.

Political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan similarly said the “disorganised” progressives in PAS had contributed to their own defeat, contrasting their efforts to the concerted campaign by the clergy wing that extended to all levels of the party.

A day before the election, the Ulama wing also issued a “cai” or list of candidates it endorsed to take control of the party; all but one of those on the list were voted in by delegates despite the wing denying it was attempting to influence voting.

“They know they are a minority but they did nothing to spread their ideas in a systematic way,” the chief executive of the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs said of the progressive camp.

The head of the think tank said having “truth” on their side was of little use given the lack of organisation among the progressives in disseminating this.

DAP’s attacks on both PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the latter’s plans to enforce the strict Islamic penal code, hudud, was also a “god-send” for the Ulama faction, Wan Saiful added.

“The fact that there is an outsider attacking your group strengthens your group,” he said, adding that DAP’s criticisms undermined the progressives’ bid in the party polls.

“By attacking the conservative group, they (DAP) put themselves on the side of the progressives.

“What would PAS members think, if Ahmad Awang were to win? He would be labelled as president subservient to DAP,” he explained.

Wan Saiful disagreed that PAS members’ opting overwhelmingly for leaders from the religious cleric camp indicated that they were either becoming more conservative or wanted to see hudud enforced.

Instead, he said hudud is just another political issue and was of secondary consideration to PAS members who were more interested in defending the party against DAP’s aggression over hudud.

“This is about the dignity of the party. Your party says something and your friend accuses and attacks you, of course they are going to defend the issue. It could have been anything at all,” he said.

The sole progressive voted in, Mazlan Aliman, is mulling whether to leave his post or even the party, citing disappointment with developments in PAS.

Mazlan’s exit would leave the PAS leadership wholly in the control of the Ulama and those in its camp.

Hadi has said, however, that professionals may still be appointed to six available posts in the party.