PR Selangor/Penang state governments not supporting Islam Hadari is a measure of PAS’s influence within PR and its effort to islamise the five states in PR’s control. I have never for a moment doubted PAS would abandon its theocratic agenda. It has merely down played the theocratic agenda and with the newer professionals help within project a “softer” face in the time running up to 8th March election to forge a temporary unity with DAP within PKR for purposes of dislodging common foe BN before reinstating this agenda when PR gets into power. PAS would rate its chances good. This is because it is arguably better-organised political party of the 3 Opposition parties. In terms of popular votes in last GE, PAS popular votes increased but marginally from about 1.1 million to 1.14 million as compared to DAP from 708,173 to 1,118,025 and PKR from 578,481 in 2004 to 1,509,080 in 2008 (almost 3 x) and yet it is PAS that reaps most benefits disproportionate to its marginal gains by effectively controlling 2 states (Kelantan & Kedah) and two more Mentris Besar in Kedah/Perak. Episode in Perak showed how prepared PAS was : it fielded credible Malay to beat PKR/DAP to take the MB post in line with state constitution. Its state of preparedness and better organisational skills – including organising demoinstrations- is but just one out of the four advantages. The second is its absolute bet on religion being part of the Malays’ cultural identity and their wilingnmess to shift political allegiance to unite around the purity of PAS’s religious agenda as a better alternative than UMNO’s appeal to race debunked by blatant rent seking. And the third is on the chameleon record of DSAI, his Islamic credentials past links with ABIM, betting that when the crunch comes, DSAI would for the PM’s position, side PAS against DAP with PAS pulling the strings behind in newly formed PR Govt. The fourth least favoured card, when all else fails is the alternative of collaborationg with UMNO or certain factions within to advance the theocratic agenda – Nik Aziz’s objections notwithstanding, since he is not expected to stay long in political arena.

From the above, it is obvious that main power broker with advantages within the PR is apparently and seemingly PAS. I say “apparently and seemingly” because the real power broker upon whose game the fate of nation reposes is actually DSAI in conjunction with the Malaysian mainstream. Whilst PAS thinks that they can use DSAI as buffer with DAP, tame him and ride to power in realisation of its theocratic agenda through the political machinery of PR he forges, it may well turn out the other way around….

PAS’s apple cart may be upset because they grossly underestimate the man. DSAI knows that at least at this moment mainstream Malaysia of all races will not support PAS’s aspirations. Why would DSAI allowed himself to be played as PAS’s puppet when PKR resurrected from mere 578,481 popular votes in 2004 to garner 1,509,080 on March 8th 2008 ?? It clearly shows the direction of where the mainstream support is – and it is not towards PAS or its agenda!

As I have opportunity to speculate this in previous threads in this blog, the man would have, with experience, thought deep that his ambition to be PM & leader of Malaysia will be better served when Pakatan Rakyat canvasses support and draws its legitimacy to rule from a wider pluralistic base, diluting PAS 1 in 3 present dominant position within PR to smaller fractional part thereof by bringing in other political stakeholders – from BN’s component parties. Otherwise how to rule with significant majority? We can’t be changing govt every 6 months due to cross overs and reverse cross overs!

DSAI had made repeated claims of crossovers by BN parliamentarians, especially those in Sabah. His latest claims as reported by Malaysiakini is : “I can safely say that several MCA MPs will join us soon,” he told journalists yesterday, after opening a service centre in Bayan Baru, Penang.

Now we can think he is bluffing – or it can be for real. I ask why would he intentionally bluff to diminish his own credibility?

He has been running around having discreet meetings in Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore, stitching the deal of cross overs. Who else will join when the crunch comes?

Maybe some from UMNO, others from Gerakan & Sarawak parties, we’ll never know. However it is not impossible because many Malaysian politicians are opportunists looking for positions and power and they will scent where the direction of the wind and switch if they think Pakatan Rakyat is where the action and power soon are.

It is not difficult for “Lallang” and “frogs” to decide which is wining side of the future. The political tsunamy of 8th March has already delivered the crippling blow that has left BN limping and confused. With the clumpsy handling of Petroleum hike and inflation effects affecting bread and butter concerns, the end does seem near – all is needed is a catalyst, whaever form it may take.

The only issue is : will the supporters of PR support in principle the solicitation by Anwar of opportunist politicians from BN’s side to secure power of rule???

They would acquiesce; I argue that they should.

The reason is plain : it is the naïve to think that Pakatan Rakyat’s agenda is panacea of all ills in the country and for this reason their politicians are pristine.

PR’s politicians are not tested as to their claims of probity and other ideals. Any one can make claims whilst in Opposition – whether the majority of them are any different from BN’s politicians is subject to proof, not talk and, pardon by cynicism, my sense is that in terms of seeking power for self aggrandizement, they or the majority cannot be all that different…For it is harder for me to contemplate and believe the opposite – the rhetoric that politicians in Opposition Camp are mostly in the game for altruistic cause of serving the public and nation.

Yet even if human nature is constant in greed, any change of government from a proven failed one is arguably a good thing, it will come with different packaging, things will be a notch better, even if other things lapse back to some bad habits before, as the group coming to power will always seek to show that it has learnt the mistakes of and is better than the last one to justify their legitimacy to rule, which is part of political evolution process of incremental improvement by every change…

And by the way I forgot to mention that I do associate with mostly of what Iisahbiazhar posted. :)

The question is therefore not whether PAS will fall into UMNO’s trap but DSAI’s trap. The PAS – UMNO Malay unity talk is one part of equation but not the bigger part which is the growing importance of the role of Malaysian middle-class (including the Malay middle class & the Young) showing by their voting in last election an inclination towards a more open multiracial concept and approach, eschewing the two extremes of PAS’s religiousity and UMNO’s rent seeking . This is DSAI’s target market! If he succeeds he will knock out UMNO’s 50 year hegemony and marginalise PAS’s roole within PR in the process. He will be assisted in no small way by that which he politically condemns – political opportunism on the part of defecting BN’s politicians. If the BN Titanic were perceived to have hit iceberg and at the last stage of slithering below the waves is there any doubt that significant groups of individuals in BN will not scramble out of it and switch camps on principle of early bird catches the worm? If they were there for the positions that power confers, so they will switch based on the same considerations and whatever misgivings one may have, their defection, en masse if possible, are imperative for a change of government. Against the opportunity is balanced this threat – will certain die hards in UMNO/BN allow this democratic and peaceful to happen or will they not instigate trouble in last ditch effort to preserve power at all costs? It is not as if Pakatan Rakyat had promised to give a general amnesty for corrupt acts and the shredder cannot eliminate all records….If anythingh the Pakatan state governments have been perceived as not above going for a witch hunt of who did what, and this is where the problem lies. A BN politician does not mind losing power especially when he has made enough but he is not going to acept the risk of being investigated and sent to jail – which is precisely what PR has not given the assurance – indeed it has evinced the reverse – and that will be the reason why a peaceful change of power is not something we can assume will naturally take place as a matter of course. Even a small kitten when cornered by a Pitbull will fight back with tooth and claws against all odds. Pakatan Rakyat’s leaders should bear this in mind.

Before March 8th PAS did not raise the Islamic state agenda. It knew it was a divisive issue with other members of Opposition pact, principally DAP. The common pact of PKR, DAP and PAS was the pursuit of the welfare state and reinstating democracy and good governance and ending corruption. The rub is, to DAP and many in PKR, the common agenda of welfare state and reinstating democracy and good governance is just that – welfare, democracy and good governance in the context of everyday parlance and the secular way they are commonly understood anywhere in the English speaking world but to PAS, their members reconcile references to welfare, democracy and good governance as they understood in Islamic discourse, and therefore consistent with precepts of Islamic state. PAS is behaving like Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland. In that fable, Humpty Dumpty (“HD”) sought to lecture Alice on semantics. Humpty Dumpty told her “There’s glory for you”, Alice said, “I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory’ and Humpty Dumpty smiled and said, “of course you don’t – till I tell you”. “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty continued in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” “The question is,” protested Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things” to which Humpty Dumpty retorted, “the question is which is to be master – that’s all”.

PAS is waiting for the day PR takes over the government in which they can be the master.

Who is being reasonable or unreasonable here? Whilst I can understand theocracy is PAS’s raison de etre, I suggest this strategy of deception without ‘good faith’ to political partners is not right. PKR & DAP have been induced to extend collaboration to counter common foe BN on PAS’s express and implied representation (upon which they relied) that PAS would put its agenda, unacceptable to the other two, in back burner. Having made political gains in the aftermath of 8th March attributed substantially to this representation of no Islamic State, PAS should not, with alacrity, try to re-assert the Islamisation of 5 pakatan controlled states. This is attempted even before victory in Federal level: imagine what happens thereafter?

I don’t buy the argument that young turks in PAS’s youth wing are pursuing their own unilateral wet dream. Their public statements to islamise 5 PR states were made with tacit acquiescence of their top leaders. Which is very much part of over all strategy of “Tayiya” -deception, infiltration and disguise- introduced into this blog’s lexicon by Lee Wang Yang – a game where second tier leaders Islamic agenda alive by periodic statements to test waters, the first tier leaders keeping silent, as if they don’t approve, until the opportune moment of power seizure.

Whilst PAS has every right to pursue its own dream, do it on its own dime, do not implicate others’ credit into a grand scheme based on misrepresentation and deception where others rely on a common understanding only to find later that there is no common understanding – or common language – because PAS, like Humpty Dumpty, chooses words to mean different from what the others understand them to mean.

Sorry: “…where second tier leaders Islamic KEEP agenda alive…”

DAP/PKR cannot play the same game of “Apostasy should be abolished & Lina Joy should be free to choose her religion” as suggested and PKR and PAS Agrees” as suggested by bumi-non-malay because (1) such statements on religion are sensitive and will alienate supporters of Islamic faith but more importantly (2) they base, and rightly so, Pakatan Rakyat’s approach on pluralistic approach of keeping religion out of the equation of governance; relegating its influence more to the private sphere of indivdual conscience and freedom of choice than the public sphere of the government, whether actively for or against any particular religion…..If PKR/DAP were to actively take public positions on religious issues like this, they forfeit their moral right to tell PAS to shut up when it does so.

or “Apostasy Law should be Abolish
bumi-non-malay

If you ask me it is sheer waste of resources and lack of focus to employ cyber trooper from ranks of unemployed (graduated from US with reasonable English) merely to “distract and to divert attention from the issues at hand” or worse still act as “agent provocateur” to incite sensitive issues disrupting harmony.

Not being able to counter the truth is one thing, trying to preach to the converted without being armed with facts, logic and balance of discourse is counter productive to reinforce detractors negative perception deeper.

The better course is to shed the hypocrisy and come out open to admit one’s credential as a ‘sincere’ cyber communicator – this builds up a modicum of trust amongst those addressed – the mission of which is to engage Malaysians in a 2 way dialogue of government’s position, articulating the government’s position in cogent manner based on whatever facts and data made available by the government, collecting feed back for dissemination back to it for deliberation on how to improve governance and correct the negative stance of detractors. Never defend the indefensible as that erodes credibility of one’s message.

I refer to Front page news (The Star of 18th June) on Sultan of Selangor’s outrage at the protest of PAS Youth and its threat to stage a demonstration at Shah Alam stadium against performance of rock queen Ella and Dangdut singer MAS Idayu on July 6th.

YB, it is significant that PAS memorandum was submitted by PAS Youth Chief Sallehan Mokhyi to the Selangor Mentri Besar’s Office which is perceived as in furtherance of the earlier call by National PAS Youth vice chief Azman Shapawi that the party PAS wanted all the Pakatan Rakyat states to implement shariah laws!

My Question : did we vote Pakatan Rakyat into the state of Selangor and Perak or even Kedah so that they can become another Kelantan? Are supporting the Pakatan Rakyat to come to power to turn Malysia into an Islamic state ala PAS’s vision as slowly implemented in Kelantan?

Such threat by PAS to stage demonstration against local artiste delivered through the office of Selangor MB who keeps silent is unprecedented.

As an important component party in Pakatan Rakyat I call on you and the DAP to tell PAS off.

If this statement (that Pakatan Rakyat states implement shariah laws) were unauthorized, it behooves the PAS national leadership to contradict it, which it didn’t.

And why is either Selangor MB and DSAI quiet on this? IF Selangor MB has not tyhe spine to tell PAS off, what are the DAP state councillors doing having no guts to tell Khalid off for his non committal and cowardly stance of silence?

It is joke that you guys are thinking of cross overs to take over the government from defecting BN component parties and personages because if I were them I would take an aboutface turn to remain in the BN if your agenda is to allow PAS to use the Pakatan Rakyat to turn our country into an Islamic state!

If the DAP has no political will to take a public stand on this and has to pathetically leave it to His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor to resist PAS’s unjustified and unlawful encroachment (in context of the Pakatan Rakyat’s Manifesto agreed by all), I would suggest to DAP to cross over to the BN instead!

At the critical moment of other BN compent parties & personages crossing over to enable Pakatan Rakyat to cross the threshold to form the government, it is surely important for Datukk Seri Anwar to realise that his stand on PAS’s initiatives to use Pakatan Rakyat to further its Islamic state agenda can no more be prevaricating because it bears on the important question whether the alternative government structured by the defacto head deserves the continued support of Mainstream Malaysia – when on the eve of crossing the Rubicon you evince the very lack of spine to do and tell right in the face of what is wrong in the same manner you accuse you the leader of your political oponent of sleep and keeping elegant silent on matters that are in principle wrong done right before your face!

YB,

This is not a case of PAS Youth pedaling, in Big Joe’s words, “spiritual drug” on their own and up to “consumers” whether, caveat emptor, want to buy it.

There are four things here of significance:

1. They are delivering the threat of a protest demonstration via a memorandum delivered to the Selangor Menteri Besar’s Office, implicating the entire Pakatan Rakyat State Government why it acquieces with it by not thrwing it out or even making a statement or advice against!

2. State PAS Youth chief Sallehen Mokhyi’s threat to stage a demonstration at the Shah Alam Stadium came on the heels of a statement by national PAS Youth vice-chief Azman Shapawi that “THE PARTY” wanted all the Pakatan Rakyat states to implement Syariah laws, a “party” implyiong the national leadership of PAS and not just the Youtyh Wing’s unilateral wet dream of it about which to date the national leadership of paS has issued no statement to contradict it.

3. Nor did the national leadership of DAP & PKR for and on behalf of Pakatn Rakyat. HRH the Sultan of Selangor who is the head of Islam was reported to be outraged describing PAS’s protest as “hypocritical” and “trivial”, and it sems strange to me that if the Head of Islam could feel such outrage, the champions of secular and plural government within Pakatan Rakyat do not not feel such as to deem it appropraite to whispher a word!

4. At the important threshhold of Pakatan Rakyat’s ‘Crossing the Rubicon’, so to speak, to form the government with the assistance of defections from BN, all Malaysians – including the “to be defectors” – will want to know if the defacto head of PR (DSAI) is taking us to cross over to the embrace of the Islamic state.

And for PR’s leaders to keep silent so as not to upset the momentum in the face of such a blatant challenge friom PAS at such a sensitive and critical moment in our nation’s history of an unprecedented change of government is, in my opinion, cowardly and shirking of duty, and placing expedience entirely over the critical principles upon which Pakatan Rakyat including PAS through the manifesto have held out to the people and won their support on that basis, but now seem contradicted and back pedalled!

For link to story today of the Sultan’s outrage –

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/18/nation/21582000&sec=nation

Oops – “…determination of a theocratic bent from NOT just the law but how that law is applied…”