‘PAS should just accept the fact that it would never connect with Sarawakians.’ – Datuk Idris Buang, PBB information chief
At the outset, let me state that I have nothing against PAS. I have nothing against any political party at all.
Let me repeat that I believe political parties, in theory, are established with noble intentions, grounded in principles and ideologies designed to serve the public interest, promote governance, and address societal challenges.
However, it is the wayward politicians who undermine political parties when they prioritize personal interests over collective goals.
These politicians may engage in corruption, cronyism, or manipulative tactics to gain power or wealth. When this happens, the party’s image becomes tarnished, and its noble objectives are overshadowed by scandals and controversies.
Add in religious extremism, and you get PAS, which is now known for its brand of fanaticism – the kind which non-Muslims and even some Muslims themselves have frowned upon as unacceptable in multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia.
How a political party is perceived by others and whether it can win the support of the people largely depends on its top leaders and the direction they have charted for the party.
PAS, under its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man today, is so different from the years when Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat was around as the party’s spiritual leader.
Nik Aziz was never the PAS president, but while he was alive, Hadi Awang and his ilk would think twice before releasing statements bordering on fanaticism and extremism. They knew that Nik Aziz would not tolerate such callousness. This was the reverence of the PAS faithful for their then-spiritual leader.
I believe I have accorded Nik Aziz the highest respect by describing him as a saint – an honour given only to the Tok Guru and no other politician.
When Nik Aziz passed away in 2015, I wrote that “politicians do not normally come under my radar for praises, but Nik Aziz was one in a million. He was a God-sent.”
Sadly, PAS today is top-heavy with hypocrites at the leadership level. For starters, head honcho Hadi had already declared that corruption is not wrong in Islam. What baloney!
I am very worried that many of the first-time MPs and state assembly persons in PAS are taking their president’s words at face value – believing it’s okay to be corrupt and steal from the public coffers when in power.
And yes, I am glad that two PBB leaders have poured cold water on a proposal by PAS to grant its Sarawak chapter the autonomy to form alliances with other political parties in this Borneo territory.
PBB vice-president Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawakians would never accept PAS’s ideologies and that the party has suffered heavy losses in previous elections in Sarawak.
“So which alliance does PAS intend to form?” Karim asked.
Last Wednesday, PAS No. 2, Tuan Ibrahim, said there was a need for the Sabah and Sarawak chapters to find a partner to form a political pact.
Karim went on to remind PAS that the goal of the state’s ruling coalition, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) – of whom PBB is the lynchpin – was to usher in changes for the better.
“So why does PAS want to enter Sarawak?”
Meanwhile, PBB information chief Datuk Idris Buang said PAS should just accept the fact that it would never connect with Sarawakians, adding there is a huge difference in terms of culture and traditions between them and those in the peninsula.
He added that Sarawakians were wary of PAS based on what they had observed happening in Peninsular Malaysia.
“The parties that came together to form GPS are fed up with the kind of politics practised in Peninsular Malaysia, which was unpredictable,” he said, adding that the political issues in Sarawak were also vastly different from those featured in the peninsula.
I applaud the two PBB leaders for speaking up on the matter. Sarawak can do without extremist Malay politicians from the peninsula. Indeed, their brand of politics would spell total disaster for Sarawak.
Just for the record, here are a few instances of PAS leaders spewing their distasteful brand of politics in the public sphere in recent days.
On Malaysia Day, September 16, Amanah Youth urged the youth wings of political parties in the Madani administration to lodge police reports over PAS chief Hadi Awang’s “munafiq” claim against the government.
manah Youth secretary Ahmad Shahir Mohd Shah said Hadi’s speech during the 70th PAS ‘muktamar’ at Al-Makmur Complex in Kerdau, Temerloh, was full of hate and vengeance, as well as extreme, coming from someone described as a religious teacher.
Munafiq refers to a person who in public shows he or she is a Muslim but rejects Islam or speaks against the faith in his or her heart, or when among enemies of the religion.
Last week, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng lodged a police report against Tuan Ibrahim for making racist remarks.
This is after Tuan Ibrahim remarked that when Chinese or Indians speak their mother tongues, Malays would’ buruk sangka’ (have bad assumptions).
“His statement is not only inaccurate but is also racist and could potentially divide Malaysia’s multiracial society,” Lim said in his police report shared with the media.
Several more so-called leaders in PAS fall into the “wayward category,” but I have already run out of space in this column.
So, PAS, we don’t want to talk so much about what you do in the peninsula. Just don’t come to Sarawak and create problems in our dear Land of the Hornbill.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
