KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu has expressed thanks to his party leaders for warning him and other progressives who lost the party elections against forming a new political party.

Mohamad, who lost his second-highest post in the Islamist opposition party to Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man from the conservative faction that swept to victory in the recent elections, said he “welcomed” reminders and warnings from the PAS spiritual leader, president, deputy president, vice presidents and the entire central working committee.

“Any reminder, admonition, and criticism, my friends and I will take into account and discuss thoroughly before taking our next step,” Mohamad said in a statement last night.

“I say thank you to everyone, from the spiritual leader right to the bottom who have warned us in the issue of setting up a new party or of taking other steps towards defending Islam, its people and Malaysians in general,” he added.

Malay Mail Online reported today PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan as saying that members of PAS’ progressive faction who form a new party will face automatic expulsion.