Asri Muda

Asri Muda 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 from 1964 to 1973. He was a school teacher and journalist before entering politics. He was elected to the Kelantan State Assembly and the federal House of Representatives in the 1959 election. He married Sakinah Junid on August 15, 1948 and had nine children. 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. Under Asri's leadership, PAS became a member of the governing Barisan Nasional (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 faction of the party, to be replaced by Yusof Rawa. After Asri's tenure, PAS shifted to a more radical religious platform. Following his loss of the PAS presidency, Asri refrained from joining the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) or Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front (BERJASA), and decided to form his own Muslim People's Party of Malaysia or Parti Hizbul Muslimin Malaysia (HAMIM) in 1983 but failed to achieve any electoral success. He resigned from HAMIM together with other party representatives on 17 November 1988 after his attempt to dissolve HAMIM in an Extraordinary Muktamar failed. He joined UMNO in 1989 and remained a member until his death in 1992. He died of a heart attack in Kuala Lumpur and was buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery.