Makeover of the decade: PAS and the non-Muslims

By Joan Lau - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 — If somebody had predicted back in 1999 that Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) would one day enjoy the support of non-Muslims in the country, he or she would have been laughed out of the room.

After all, the fear of the green tide (PAS is closely associated with the Islamic colour) was what kept diehard opposition supporters from voting for the DAP in the 1999 general election. That year, DAP had joined forces with PAS, Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia to challenge Barisan Nasional under the Barisan Alternatif banner.

DAP turned out to be the biggest loser in the election that saw Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh vanquished. PAS was the biggest winner that year as it took Terengganu as well as Kelantan which it first took control of in 1990.

Malaysians then — not just non-Muslims but any Malaysian fearing the curtailing of his/her civil liberties should PAS take over — simply could not accept PAS. And the fact that it now had two states made them even more nervous.

“If PAS is in control, finish-lah for us… no more pork” or “We will become like Iran” were remarks commonly bandied about in those days. Yes, they may sound improbably childish now but the fear of a repressive Islamic regime was very real.

Nizar keeps the PAS flag flying. — File pic

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wrote that “thanks to the skilful demonising over the decades by the Barisan Nasional government and the mainstream media, Chinese and Indians tossed PAS into the same basket as terrorists and communists.” The truth wasn’t very far from that dramatic statement.

Fast forward to 2009 and you will find that while there is still some unease over PAS’s insistence on hudud laws and the banishing of alcohol sales, there is a much wider acceptance of the party. Over the years, it worked on more inclusive policies and presented a less fundamentalist image of itself. Example: at the Bukit Gantang by-election this year, the Chinese-majority consitutency of Kuala Sepetang voted overwhelmingly for PAS candidate Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.

Over the years, the party had simply shifted closer to the middle. After March 8, 2008 stories emerged of PAS MP Khalid Samad speaking to his constituents in a church. Imagine that. When was the last time an Umno politician did that?

Then there was Tok Guru saying there was nothing wrong with Christians using the word “Allah.” This at a time when the Catholic church was in court fighting for the right to use the word. Coincidentally, the judgment of the Allah case is later this afternoon.

Ironically, it was Umno which was sounding more and more extreme with its insistence on ketuanan Melayu, calling the Chinese and Indians pendatang and branding any form of dissent as being anti-monarchy or a threat to the Malays.

Malaysians, tired of this rhetoric, wanted politicians who stood for honesty and justice. PAS, with its strong religious core, came across as just that. Suddenly it was okay that it was a party with strong Islamist principles. At least it had principles.