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Here at the 54th Pas Muktamar, the 3,000 or so Pas members packed into the Indera Mulia Indoor Stadium may not sound as gung-ho or radical as before and conservative extremism seems to have gone out the door to be replaced by an embrace of modernism in their public relations.

Free wi-fi was available to all and a live video feed of the day's proceedings was broadcast online while Powerpoint presentations aided in no small number of speeches.

But instilled in the membership is a certain quiet confidence. Parti Keadilan Rakyat may boast the strongest opposition representation in Parliament but Parti Islam SeMalaysia is not a little proud of its large membership, religious piety and top-notch organisation.

They remain a choir united in song, a flock that follows their shepherds as they echoed similar views of leaders not quite at ease with PKR's dominance in the nascent Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

"Fears of being sidelined are real. You can see it now in the kind of discussions that are going on," said Abu Samah Ali, a delegate from Kuala Krai.

Earlier yesterday, the opening day of the annual general assembly, president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had refused to confirm the party's endorsement for PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to step up as prime minister should the coalition come into power.

The day before, the religious scholars wing came to the consensus that Hadi was the leader with the best credentials to protect Islamic principles as prime minister.

"You can see during the election, we were the hunting dogs. We get the bones, the master gets the meat," was Abu's analogy.

"When the dogs go out in packs, they fight, but when they hunt, they hunt together and get the pig. But after they have shared in the meal, they are back to their warring ways," was his way of describing the coalition as an electoral pact rather than a formal alliance.

But Pas's insistence on Islamic principles has not deterred non-Muslim support as seen by the visible presence of its Pas Supporters' Club, which came into prominence ever since Kumutha Rahman ran for a seat in the Johor state assembly in the March 8 polls.

The club was set up in 2004 and its chairman, 53-year-old Hu Pang Chow, who has worked with Pas since 1999, explains that the variance in opinion is due to a very democratic structure to the party.

"They are free to criticise and whack even the top leadership. Do you see that in Umno, MCA or MIC? In DAP even, they sack members who disagree with the leadership," he said.

While the club does not have full membership status in the party, Hu insists it is influential.

"At last year's muktamar, I gave a speech saying that non-Muslims will never accept an Islamic state, which is why the election manifesto spoke of a welfare state. Now this is not entirely accurate either. The idea was a fair state, not a welfare state," he said, adding that the 10,000-strong club was the channel by which the party communicated with non-Muslim Malaysians.

The question everyone is asking of the club is why Pas? Hu, a Kelantanese Chinese who spent 20 years with MCA until deciding to cross over to the opposition, explains that it is a matter of simple calculation.

"Outside of BN, Pas has the largest membership, more than a million and the best organisation. I spent a year with DAP but Pas is the best option to see change and reform in our country," he insisted.

His faith in the party's ideals seems unshakable.

Cheekily I asked if it was a shortcut move to getting government projects, and he replied that "even Pas members don't ask for projects. If you want projects, it's better to just start a company and do a joint venture with the Pas state government. Businessmen can do whatever they need to make a profit, but for politicians it becomes a scandal," said the former journalist.

If you ask Abu, it is the fear of God which keeps the party clean and strong. And in the end, their religious ideals will see them through.

"We are riding on a wave. And there will be bigger waves and as the captain of the ship, you need to know when to be hard and soft and resonate with it. PKR resonated with the recent wave but can Anwar balance everything out? There are many what ifs in the future and will he always take the same stand? It's all about balance. Pas's footing has been strong for decades. Whatever it is, we will survive.

"For example, the physical tsunami in Indonesia. Only after that did people seek religion. Symbolically, in Acheh, only the mosque was left standing. At the end of the day, religion is the only thing you can depend on. And Pas has never wavered from Islam being the one true way," he declared.

That is his reasoning why Pas cannot and must not allow anyone else to be foundation of government.

Perhaps Abu is long in the tooth and remembers when Anwar was still part of the hated enemy Umno. While Syakirin did not hesitate in saying that a political pact with Umno was far more distasteful than any cooperation with Anwar, he said that the sentiment amongst the new breed of Pas grassroots leaders differs from Abu's generation.

"Umno has no monopoly on Malay rights and Islamic issues. Nobody has given them a royal seal and mandate to be its guardian. Pas and even PKR have done more in these areas," he stated.

For him, an electoral pact is but a means to an Islamic end whereas Abu sees a Pas-led government as a prerequisite to Islamic principles.

Hu pointed out, perhaps in hope rather than belief, that the party was fully behind Anwar but he seemed spot-on that the party is disciplined and will abide by the leadership's decisions.

"Doubts over Anwar are relevant," Syakirin admitted, "but if the top leadership endorses Anwar, then we will share the same faith."

- The Malaysian Insider