Malaysianinsider reports that PAS has assured its partners in the Pakatan Rakyat that it is committed to this loose political alliance, are in agreement with the other two component parties to form a common platform, the details of which are now in the hands of Zaid Ibrahim.
That report quotes a Pakatan leader who was present at the top-dogs meeting yesterday as saying that “PAS is committed but feels a need to bring up issues concerning Islam, but they acknowledged the need to articulate such issues better.”
Bring up issues touching on Islam, by all means.
Don’t, however, dictate who can and cannot respond to the points of view you raise.
And as you raise those issues, keep sight of lessons you ought to have learnt from the past.
Like, how you fell for Dr M’s needling in 2003, came out with your Islamic state blueprint, and got gazoomed in the 2004 GE.
We’re not naive to think that you’ve given up your aspiration to turn our country into an Islamic state, whatever that might mean, and whoever’s brand of Islam you have in mind.
We’ll respect your aspiration.
Please respect the aspiration of a great many of us to retain our nation as a secular state, as was clearly intended by the founding fathers.
And please, please, don’t join the ranks of some dishonest religionists who will want to equate ’secular’ with being ‘anti-God’.
You know we don’t mean that, so please distance yourselves from this falsehood.
YB Dr Zul’s assurance at a public forum about two years ago that PAS would never resort to unconstitutional means to achieve its aspiration to form an Islamic state was reassuring. Why not reiterate this?
It would go along way to assuage concerns in civil society given your Hassan Ali’s recent fiasco in Selangor and Husam Musa’s cock-up during his debate with Khairy some time back, just before the KT by-elections.
Your slogan reads “PAS for all”.
Time for you to reassure us that you mean what you say.
I had a quick chat with Zorro a little while ago about a tough decision that the Barisan Rakyat Bloggers must make.
Do we go down to Permatang Pasir for the by-election and, as we’ve done thus far, throw our every effort behind Pakatan Rakyat?
Do we sit out this by-election, to register our discontent and dissatisfaction with Pakatan Rakyat for a lot of the happenings and non-happenings?
Or do we proactively launch a sms campaign to register our unhappiness, go down to Permatang Pasir and share those grievances with the voters and outreach to the Kelab Penyokong PAS to do the same?
I just finished speaking with Zaid Ibrahim.
He has assured me that he is doing everything he can to get Pakatan Rakyat on track so that it is in sync with the aspirations of the rakyat.
All of the rakyat.
“Haris, things will only get better. I’ll stake my life on this”, he said.
I’ve known Zaid to be a gentleman who has always kept his word.
Just spoke to Zorro again.
We’re both going to sleep on this until Sunday morning.
PAS, a little assurance now would go a long way.
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