I am disappointed with the reply to my letter given by Abdul Rahman Abdul Talib, who is PAS information chief in PJ Utara. If anything, his response did not tackle the issues that were brought up in my letter.

1) PAS' Islamic state blueprint

Whatever you call it, a memorandum or a blueprint, PAS' ultimate aim is to form an Islamic state. This stand , according to PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang, will not be compromised.

What my letter aimed to do was point out that non-Muslims are wary of this ideology. This is affecting their support for Barisan Alternatif. It would be foolish for BA leaders to deny the impact PAS has on their alliance. PAS' participation is one of the biggest reasons why many fence sitters are not crossing over to BA. As the popular saying goes, better a known devil than an unknown devil. The rationale for this is that PAS' plan merely shifts the lines of discrimination from race to religion.

Although Abdul Rahman urges me not to talk about the memorandum, he fails to point out many of the issues in the memorandum are already in the public domain. For example, the fact that the prime minister has to be a Muslim has been mentioned before by PAS leaders. This requirement, I must add, is contradictory to PRM-Keadilan's stand to ensure equality for all Malaysians.

2) Perception of Malaysians towards other BA members

Abdul Rahman goes on to further state that my claims of PAS' arrogance cannot be substantiated. Why then did Abdul Hadi Awang declare that Terengganu is an Islamic state although it is was never ever mentioned in the BA manifesto in 1999? People who voted for PAS under the impression of voting for BA would definitely have felt cheated.

All the talk about the Islamic state issue has further reinforced the image that other BA members are 'Pak Turuts'. What was further disappointing was the fact that no concrete statements (other

than from DAP who by that time had pulled out of BA) was released to the general public clarifying Abdul Hadi's statement and BA's position in the issue.

BA can never be a political force to be reckoned with if component members are not willing to take a stand. 'We agree to disagree' seems to be the phrase of the day coming out from BA. However, BA must realise that it is that very phrase that is confusing the rakyat . When people are confused, they go for the safe option - Barisan Nasional. Grim as it may seem, that is the reality of Malaysian politics.

Abdul Rahman and PAS may deny that this scenario is created by PAS' ideology, but the fact that BA leaders themselves are raising this issue in closed-door meetings goes to further prove my case.

Syed Husin's clarification that BA is finally willing to make that stand is definitely a step forward. I am glad that talks are underway in BA to clarify this issue and the option to re-evaluate BA's relationship with PAS is on the table. BA cannot present a credible front if the only thing in common with its members is the fact that they want to beat BN.

The question here would be can BA work out its differences with such glaringly different ideologies at hand. Only time will tell, but let me warn BA members that the clock is ticking fast. With the media fully controlled by the ruling party, time is BA's worst enemy.

There is nothing wrong in re-evaluating the alliance. Discussion and finding a solution to this problem will only reflect well on BA. We are all human after all. Reformasi!