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QUESTION TIME | Which of these two scenarios is better - a PAS aligned to Umno, which results in Umno and BN retaining power in the forthcoming GE14, or a PAS within Pakatan Harapan that helps to unseat BN’s iron grip on power for over 60 years?

To rational Malaysians who believe that Dr Mahathir Mohamad working with Harapan is good because of the common aim of getting rid of Najib Abdul Razak, despite Mahathir’s abysmal past record, surely getting PAS on the common side is even more welcome, given their considerable reach and influence among Malays for many years.

In that context, the alarm that has been raised by Harapan election director Azmin Ali’s revelations that informal discussions are being held with PAS is rather misplaced, considering the kind of increased clout the opposition coalition will have with PAS in it and the blow that would be dealt to Umno and BN.

Consider what Azmin said: “There are no formal negotiations with PAS at the moment... but there have been very informal discussions ongoing for the last few months. I think we need to step it up and find solutions as soon as possible because elections are just around the corner.

“We are more than happy to sit down with PAS... no official timeline was given to them. (In fact,) we are open to talking to any political party that is ready to adopt the Reformasi agenda. We hope to see cooperation (with other parties) under a common framework to unseat BN and Umno in GE14,” Azmin said at the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu - Mahathir’s party) headquarters in Petaling Jaya recently.

Now, before one gets all riled up and calls PAS names such as traitors, extremists, etc, consider what would happen if PAS aligns with BN and they come to power. The Muslim agenda will rise to the fore, PAS will be sated and a questionable regime would have stayed in power by exploiting race and religion.

But what if, by some miracle, PAS makes up with Harapan and rejoins the coalition? Harapan’s chances of unseating BN would have risen very significantly - no more tri-cornered fights, no more split of Malay/Muslim votes for the opposition. Also, it is possible that PAS’ Islamist agenda would be tempered by working alongside non-Muslim parties, perhaps by appealing to moral values which are Islamic and universal too.

This is not a rather idealistic argument. PAS has had different postures over the years. It was formed in 1951 by people who included breakaway Umno religious leaders with the aim of making Malaysia an Islamic state. These days, despite its more hardline posture, it still gives an assurance that non-Muslims will be exempted from the Islamic laws it proposes.

Under Tok Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s influence as its spiritual leader, PAS moved to a softer, more progressive Islam with professionals joining in the lead-up to the 2008 ground-breaking elections, as indicated by this article written by none other than DAP's MP Liew Chin Tong, who studied PAS as an academic. 

Some excerpts: “PAS was very much a single-issue party in the 1980s. But with state power in Kelantan under Nik Aziz’s leadership, PAS moved beyond a single-issue party and embraced talents, especially young professionals and a myriad of issues beyond the polemics of hudud.

“Anwar’s Reformasi and the entry of a large number of members and leaders from the West Coast and PAS’ ‘mainstreaming’ ambition to become a federal government with other coalition partners broadened further the party’s appeals and agenda.

“PAS’ tacit leadership role through Mohamad Sabu in the first Bersih in 2007 and the subsequent idea of a ‘welfare state’ are notable examples.”

A long shot

Nik Aziz’s untimely death in February 2015 led to a revival of fundamentalism in PAS under Abdul Hadi Awang and the formation of Parti Amanah Negara by dissident PAS members, including several MPs.

Is that reason enough to cut PAS off? Certainly not. There may be a significant section within PAS who can still see the benefit of a more moderate Islam to “sell” to a broader public base, which will actually result in real progress in key areas such as prevention of corruption, upholding a wider definition of moral values, accountability and transparency.

After all, disappointment with the current government is reaching epic proportions and fear of the future of the country is increasing, with the ringgit still languishing at near all-time lows reached some two decades ago at the height of the Asian financial crisis.

There may be need for some quid pro quo here but even the concessions that Harapan, in particular the non-Muslim components and especially the DAP, have to make to PAS may be preferable to a country led by BN and PAS as a partner, where Islamic extremism may prevail together with continued and heightened corruption and patronage - a truly nightmarish scenario that no sane person wants.

PAS and Harapan making up is still a long shot but that door, even if it is closed, should not be locked now, especially by Harapan because if it is somehow opened, it could be the game changer that will enable Harapan, with Mahathir and PAS in, to finally unseat what has shown itself to be a highly corrupt and oppressive regime. 

It may be wishful thinking, but if politics is indeed the art of making the impossible happen, it could still happen - PAS and Harapan may make up even if they don’t embrace or kiss. After all, who thought that Mahathir and Anwar will again be on the same side after what many considered insurmountable acrimony?


P GUNASEGARAM says that as long as there is life there is hope. E-mail: [email protected].

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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