Reading the views of various PAS followers (e.g. Kelantan71 , Abu Hussam etc.) makes me wonder whether the religious conservatives in PAS understand the political realities of Malaysia.

To be blunt - if one has to debate whether playing the guitar is 'halal' or 'haram' - then I think that one is completely out of touch with reality. Malaysia is not Baghdad of the 10th century nor Madinah of the seventh century.

A staggering 40 percent of its population is non-Muslims. Malaysia is geared towards industrialisation with the support and participation of women in all sectors of the economy.

Besides, how will PAS insulate Malaysia from the modernist trends in the Asia-Pacific region? Do you mean to tell me that Malaysian Muslims must be - and can be - insulated from the influences and cultures of the Asia-Pacific region?

The problem with the religious conservatives in PAS is that they cannot engage in anything beyond religious discourse. Islamism has become an obsession for them. There is nothing wrong with religion. All religions are good.

But running modern Malaysia is not about Islam alone. That's very obvious. But PAS has yet to present any reasonable political platform acceptable to all races in Malaysia. PAS has yet to address the pressing economic issues facing Malaysia.

And worse still, PAS does not even have a meaningful foreign policy that will win the support of Malaysia's neighbours. It is now patently clear that PAS is drifting into a 10th century world of make-believe. So what political future does PAS have?