KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi said today that he would not be defending his post as the PAS Youth head in the upcoming party polls to make way for younger leaders.

The incumbent chief of the youth wing in the Islamist party, however, was reported by PAS-owned paper Harakah Daily today as saying that he would run for a seat in the party’s central committee.

“I want to announce that I am officially withdrawing from defending my post as the PAS Malaysia Youth chief,” Nasrudin, who has held the post since 2009, was quoted as saying.

“The youth wing has never lacked good leaders. So, it is up to the delegates to choose a new leadership of young people in future,” added the Temerloh MP.

Nasrudin confirmed his withdrawal from the PAS Youth contest when contacted by The Malay Mail Online.

“Now is the best time for me to leave DPPM (PAS Malaysia Youth) since I’ve turned 43,” Nasrudin told The Malay Mail Online today.

“I’d like to explore a bigger and more diverse battlefield (development and training, proselytisation and the application of the Quran and Sunnah), since serving with DPP (PAS Youth) in 1985,” he added.

There are five other contenders vying for the top PAS Youth post in the November polls. They are Dr Riduan Mohd Nor, Suhaizan Kaiat, Zulhazmi Sharif, Kamarulzaman Muhammad and Dr Raja Ahmad Iskandar Al Hiss.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang retained his post uncontested.

Incumbent PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu will be defending his post against four contenders, who are Datuk Husam Musa, Salahuddin Ayub, Datuk Amar Nik Abdullah, and Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

The PAS party election will be held on November 22, while the youth and women’s wing polls are scheduled a day before.

PAS Youth, under Nasrudin’s leadership, has protested against concerts by several international artistes here in the past, such as the Lamb of God heavy metal band, which Malaysia barred from performing here last month, and singer Elton John and American Idol star Adam Lambert who are both openly gay.

Before Nasrudin led PAS Youth in 2009, the Islamist party’s youth wing also protested against concerts by Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne and US R&B singer Rihanna here.