When I heard Pas's Takiyuddin Hassan lash out at a Singaporean minister for allegedly accusing PAS of meddling in Singapore’s politics, I genuinely didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or offer him a mirror.
Takiyuddin, in an indignant tone, called the allegation “disingenuous,” arguing that it was absurd to think Singaporean voters were so gullible that they needed to be “protected” from foreign opinions.
“Blaming outsiders for internal debates is a classic political deflection tactic,” he thundered, “a convenient way to distract from domestic problems.”
Strong words. Very strong. Especially from a man representing a party that has built an entire political empire on the art of blaming others — non-Muslims, liberals, concerts, and even cartoon characters — for Malaysia’s moral decline.
When non-Muslims drink or run a beer festival, PAS declares it an assault on Islam. When liberal Muslims express a thought, PAS brands them as heretics. When Coldplay or Billie Eilish comes to town, PAS warns that civilisation itself is at risk. And when Disney releases Lightyear or a rainbow-coloured cartoon, PAS finds a moral emergency lurking in the animation.
Yet here they are, scolding Singapore for being too sensitive.
If irony had a national anthem, PAS would be singing it in full chorus.
For context, Yesterday (October 15), PAS hit out at a Singaporean minister, rebuffing suggestions that it was trying to interfere in the republic’s politics.
In a statement, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan described the allegations as a “political shortcut” meant to deflect attention from internal issues.
“PAS firmly rejects the attempt to cast our party as a convenient bogeyman to advance domestic political agendas in Singapore.
We will not allow a false narrative to stand where ordinary cross-border commentary is sensationalised into a security threat for short-term partisan gain.”
The minister in question, Singapore’s coordinating minister for national security K Shanmugam, had earlier warned politicians to “resist the destructive temptation to use race and religion in election campaigns.”
He cited reactions from the opposition Workers’ Party and PAS-linked individuals as examples of how such politics could spill across borders.
In April, Selangor PAS Youth chief Sukri Omar shared a post by a former Singaporean citizen, accusing Malay-Muslim MPs there of failing their community.
PAS national treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad even voiced support for a Singapore election candidate — a move that earned the party a polite but pointed rebuke from Singapore’s home ministry.
Apparently, that rebuke stung.
Takiyuddin fired back, calling it “disingenuous” to suggest Singaporeans were so easily influenced by foreign rhetoric.
He accused Singapore’s leadership of using PAS as a scapegoat to distract from “domestic issues,” claiming it was easier to invent an enemy than to govern effectively.
“It is a political shortcut that trades long-term problem-solving for short-term unity against a scapegoat,” he said.
Now, here’s where things get delightfully absurd.
A normal, well-balanced person — or political party — usually feels a tinge of admiration and delight when they meet someone who reminds them of themselves.
It’s like seeing a distant cousin who shares your quirks: you nod, smile, maybe exchange tips.
But when you see your own reflection and start screaming, that’s when we know something’s off.
PAS looks at Singapore and sees, perhaps too clearly, a mirror image — a government obsessed with controlling narratives, protecting “sensitive” citizens, and turning moral guardianship into political capital.
Instead of feeling kinship, PAS reacts with outrage, insisting it would never behave that way.
It’s a bit like watching a cat hiss at its own reflection in a glass door.
Both PAS and Singapore’s ruling establishment share a peculiar trait: an unshakable belief that the public is a fragile creature that must be protected — either from sin or from speech.
Both thrive on moral panic. Both weaponise “sensitivity.” And both claim to act in the name of stability while quietly policing dissent.
So when PAS accuses Singapore of using bogeymen to deflect attention from domestic issues, it’s really just describing itself — only louder, and without a hint of self-awareness.
Perhaps what really irritates PAS is not that Singapore called them out, but that Singapore did it with the same tone of sanctimonious superiority that PAS reserves for everyone else.
And if that’s not poetic justice, I don’t know what is.
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