“Very often the test of one's allegiance to a cause or to a people is precisely the willingness to stay the course when things are boring, to run the risk of repeating an old argument just one more time, or of going one more round with a hostile or (much worse) indifferent audience.”

- Christopher Hitchens, Hitch 22: A Memoir

COMMENT | Recently, various PAS potentates, including PAS grand poohbah Abdul Hadi Awang, have been issuing diktats that PAS needs to garner non-Muslim support.

Selangor PAS leader Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir said, “It is proven that DAP continues to incite and create fear among the non-Malays by portraying PAS as a violent extremist party.

“In reality, the Islam championed by PAS is different. In fact, justice and well-being for all guaranteed by Islam is ensured for all. This is PAS’ objective.”

Really? A rational person can hold DAP accountable for many issues plaguing the country but the reason why non-Muslims fear PAS and indeed fear the rising spectre of theocracy in this country is because of PAS and the pusillanimous and enabling responses of this unity government.

The fact that Umno under Dr Mahathir Mohamad for decades demonised PAS and now he hooks up with PAS with his tail between his legs, is evidence of how the work of the religious bureaucracy enabled by the political elites has engineered a polity which is narcotised by race and religion.

Forget that the PAS president has claimed that non-Muslims...