It is heartening that PAS has realised that ideology alone cannot win an election. Anwar Ibrahim should also be accorded an applause for having managed to fine-tune PAS' mindset. It augurs well for the Barisan Alternatif in the next election.

In the 1999 election, non-Muslims, especially in the eastern states like Sabah, were so frightened by the possibility of PAS forming the federal government because of their - rightly or wrongly - skewed perception of extremism in the PAS hierarchy.

They shuddered at the thought that what happened in Afghanistan during the tenure of the Taliban government would occur here. The BA could have done better if not for the extremist Islamist posture of PAS in that election.

After all, Islamic values, just like any other religious values, are consonant with universal values. So why harp so much on form rather than the fundamental tenets which are shared by most religions. The true measure of one's worth is not what one wears or how finely trimmed one's goatee or moustache is. It is in the sincerity of the hearts.

Besides this, the approach by PAS is considered aggressive by the East Malaysian states. In Sabah, pro-government supporters and their opposition counterparts have fun on nomination days. They engage in friendly banter, not fights.

They share jokes at the same tables at coffee shops. Once the election is over, everything returns to normal as usual. Animosities are put on the back burner.

Perhaps, this is something the Semananjung parties could learn from their eastern counterparts.