AM wrote Let's grow out of our political innocence . He asserted that a PAS-controlled government would use religion (Islam) to suppress criticism and opposition; in other words, to become an autocratic and dictatorial regime, after gaining power.

If we were to put aside emotion and BN propaganda, and look at actual historical facts, we will find that PAS had been in power in Kelantan from 1959 to 1978 and from 1990 to now, altogether 34 years. Enough time for such a prediction to have materialised, don't you think? But it didn't.

After all, it took Dr Mahathir Mohamad less than eight years to show his true colours, to depart from his propaganda of "Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah", to completely destroy the independence and integrity of the judiciary, to detain under the ISA all critics of the BN government (remember Ops Lallang?), and just over a decade to make transparent an autocratic era better known for

corruption, cronyism and nepotism.

Surely this was not what Hussein Onn had even remotely expected when he appointed Mahathir as his deputy way back in 1976?

If you say, 'Ah well, the PAS leaders were just waiting for their time', then I submit that several PAS leaders like Dr Asri, Ustaz Fadzil Noor must have died waiting. It does not make sense to me. Does it to you?

In any case, I cannot see any scenario, in the foreseeable future, whereby PAS can ever take over the federal government on its own. It needs to be in coalition with Keadilan and DAP, and a host of other parties in both the Peninsular and Sabah/Sarawak, who will no doubt provide the checks and balances.

However, with Anwar Ibrahim leading, it will most probably be Keadilan which may be playing an influential role in a future Barisan Alternatif government.