Datuk Mohamad Asri Muda (10 October 1923–c. 1992) was a Malaysian politician who served as the President of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) from 1969 to 1982, and as the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Kelantan

Kelantan

Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....

.

Early and personal life

Asri was born on 11 October 1923 in Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu is a city in Malaysia, is the state capital and Royal City of Kelantan. It is also the name of the territory in which Kota Bharu City is situated. The name means 'new city' or 'new castle/fort' in Malay. Kota Bharu is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, and lies...

, the capital of Kelantan

Kelantan

Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....

. He was a school teacher and journalist before entering politics. He was elected to the Kelantan State Assembly

Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan

The Kelantan State Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Kelantan. It consists of 45 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state...

 and the federal House of Representatives

Dewan Rakyat

The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...

 in the 1959 election.

Menteri Besar of Kelantan

Asri became the Menteri Besar of Kelantan in 1964, replacing Ishak Lotfi Omar. He served as Menteri Besar until 1974, when he resigned to become a Minister in the federal government.

PAS Presidency

Under Asri's leadership, PAS became a member of the governing Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional

Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...

 (BN) coalition for the first and only time, from 1973 to 1978. Asri became the Minister for Land and Rural Development in the BN government. Asri's leadership was also notable for the shifting of PAS's outlook towards Malay nationalism. Both joining the BN coalition and moving away from religious-based policy platforms caused the party to lose support. In 1982, Asri was ousted as PAS leader by the religious ulama

Ulama

-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...

faction of the party, to be replaced by Yusof Rawa

Yusof Rawa

Yusof Rawa was a Malaysian politician. He was a member of the Parliament of Malaysia and from 1983 to 1989 served as President of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party . His legal name was Yusof Abdullah.-Early career:...

. After Asri's tenure, PAS shifted to a more radical religious platform.

After PAS

Following his loss of the PAS presidency, Asri founded the Parti Hizbul Muslimin Malaysia (Hamim) but failed to achieve any electoral success. In 1988, he joined PAS's rivals, the United Malays National Organisation

United Malays National Organisation

The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....

(UMNO), claiming that PAS had "deviated" and had been "infiltrated by extremist foreign elements".