I don't share the same opinion as Francis of Temerloh ( Unimpressed by Mustafa's answers in 'Hardtalk' ).

On the contrary, I thought that not only did PAS vice-president Mustafa Ali conduct his interview with Tim Sebastian on BBC World's Hardtalk show last Friday pretty well, but in some aspects he even outshined the performance of Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar on the same programme two days earlier.

Mustafa, for the most part I thought, was open and honest about PAS' views and positions with Sebastian.

In fact, I think his openness and candour augured remarkably well in the politician's favour and at times, even had the usually hard-hitting Sebastian softening on his approach as Mustafa took pains to answer - instead of dodge - the interviewer's every question.

Often times he even asked Sebastian for clarifications of his questions which showed that Mustafa was not fully able to comprehend what Sebastian was actually saying. And in this respect, I think, the celebrated interviewer erred slightly in failing in his sensitivities to speak a little slower and clearer than the way he is used to speak with those whose mother-tongue is English.

Another plus point in the interview is that Mustafa, unlike Syed Hamid, never once attempted to be snide in his remarks with Sebastian about the West and East, and was able to perfectly distinguish that he was speaking to a broadcast journalist and not to a representative of the British or American government. Syed Hamid clearly had trouble making a difference in this.

Mustafa was explicit about PAS' position on suicide bombers, their denouncement of Saddam Hussein and yet, their full support for victimised nations who take the right to defend themselves. He spoke out clearly about Israeli aggressors in Palestine, PAS' condemnation of terrorists that involved the deaths of innocent people and children, and even said they didn't think much about the Arab Muslim world that supported the US-led invasion against Iraq.

Mustafa was careful to speak out against a mischievous media that was all out to put PAS in a bad light.

Having said all this, it doesn't mean that I am a supporter of PAS in any way. All I'm saying is that through the show I have had a much clearer picture now of what PAS stands for than before Hardtalk .

I just wish that as Malaysians, we don't have to keep depending on foreign broadcasts to give Malaysians opportunities to know more about our own opposition parties. Our local TV stations should also start interviewing the various political parties, more so now that the general elections are around the corner.

I would just like to add one last criticism of the Hardtalk show: I wish that Sebastian had also interviewed Dr Wan Azizah Ismail and Dr Syed Husin Ali in a separate show as it would be interesting to see how they handle a tough interviewer or whether they would simply buckle under such pressure.

Any chance of this happening, Mr Hardtalk ?