Let me declare from the outset that there is absolutely nothing wrong with PAS pushing for an Islamic State to replace the secular government as being practised now with a parallel shariah system. After all, it is an Islamic party and it does not hide this aspiration. Their quest is all above board. Nothing in the Federal Constitution says Malaysia is secular or an Islamic State.
But as many constitutional law experts have said, the spirit behind the Independence declaration is for a co-existence between the two. It’s the same with DAP promoting its Malaysian Malaysia concept strongly at some point, it’s their political right. To the Malays, this actually meant pushing for equality, which spooked the community that is enjoying special privileges.
However, after being part of the government, the party leaders have softened their stance on this concept, preferring not to mention it at all. Similarly, PAS seems to have softened their stance on Islamic State with the next general election approaching. An example is how its hardliner president Hadi Abdul Awang expressed this in his recent speech at the party’s general assembly.
He declared that Islamic governance is the only solution that can reset Malaysia as the democratic government based on secularism has only created more problems. Obviously, he chose this euphemistic term as the mere mention of Islamic State is enough to deter non-Muslims from voting for the party. However, a few party leaders of late seem to be promoting inclusivity, something which many find hard to digest.
You can’t blame them as Hadi constantly blames colonial practices and DAP (read: Chinese) for the high corruption rate and what he terms as “immoral Kuala Lumpur”. He has also several times in the past declared that non-Muslims cannot helm the top and key positions at all levels of governance. The party’s new apparent stance not only sounds hollow but also something that appears to be just scratching the surface.
Obviously, this comes at a crucial time, which is the run-up to the next general election (GE16) due in two years. Together with its ally in Perikatan Nasional, Bersatu, they have openly declared that with about 3% of non-Malay shift in support, it can form the government easily with 22 more seats. In other words, PAS is already smelling power with its members clamouring for a PAS prime minister if PN wins the next general election. In 2007 which was a year before the watershed general election that led the nation to take a different trajectory, the Islamic party went to town with its “PAS for All” battle-cry in a bid to woo the non-Malays.
But this was under the charismatic PAS president then Nik Aziz Nik Mat who many non-Muslims believed had a genuine intention and it was coming from his heart. Nothing has been heard of this after his passing in 2015. Of late, many politicians have been reminding Malaysians not to forget history when deciding the future of Malaysia. The trouble is, in my opinion, many of them who preach this are themselves guilty of ignoring the past, whether recent or otherwise.
The infamous Sheraton Move in 2020 initiated by Bersatu chief Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno head Zahid Hamidi and Hadi and which saw the collapse of the PH largely multi-racial government was openly based on the push for Malay-Muslim supremacy. And they succeeded using the race and religion cards. All the non-Malay parties which are now being wooed and gravitating towards PN are actually going in with their eyes wide open.
They know pretty well that the ultimate ambition of PAS is to have an Islamic State and this will be their stepping stone. The non-Muslims parties which have now become allies of PAS should know that without any public declaration from its top leaders, especially Hadi, they will continue their push for an Islamic State and treat others as second-class citizens.
These leaders who are dancing with PAS should know that they cannot win many seats that are being held by PH or Umno currently. At best, they will act as catalysts to making PAS stronger, slowly and surely. And one fine day, when a PAS-led PN has the two-third majority, it can amend or even change the constitution at its will.
At most, the non-Muslim leaders of these parties will be appointed senators or GLC boards and given other insignificant positions. Well, they will benefit the most personally while the community could lose. This is the worst-case scenario, but it looks hugely possible. So, these parties and groups who work with PAS out of political anger will end up in history as the ones who hastened the change of Malaysia from secular state to a theocracy.
A point to note is that they are being led or were formed by disgruntled politicians who are eyeing positions or who were not given seats in the last general election. Gerakan switched to PN after BN was defeated in 2018. It’s leader is now a senator appointed by PN. So is the head of the non-Malay wing in PAS.
BN’s MCA and MIC have held talks with PN leaders after the coalition formed a loose coalition with a handful of Indian-based parties for what it claims is to check the excesses of the current government. But these were the parties and individuals that were openly angry with the PH-Umno government for not giving them ministerial posts and appointments to lead GLCs.
The politicians involved are recycled leaders who have lost the plot. Let me be brutally honest here by saying that these same leaders would not be uttering all the condemnations of their previous parties or current coalitions if they are now minsters, elected representatives or heads of GLCs. I am sure they know that in the process, they are helping pave the way for PAS to set up an Islamic State or as Hadi calls it, a government based on Islamic governance.
We still remember what Hadi’s son Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi declared after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021 and re-established an Islamic theocracy in Afghanistan. The PAS international affairs and external relations committee chairman congratulated the Taliban for "successfully achieving victory for their country" stating it was a liberation from Western powers.
The PAS central working committee is ostensibly the party's principal decision-making body, although its decisions can be reviewed by the Syura Council, an unelected body comprising only Muslim clerics and led by the party's Spiritual Leader ("Musyidul 'Am").
Can the non-Muslim leaders working with PAS give Malaysians an assurance that this scenario will not be an eventuality?
Parkaran Kutty (parkarank@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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