There has been relentless criticism of PAS in the mainstream crony-controlled media (as expected), and more recently by some readers in malaysiakini .

In recent years, Sept 11 and the Bali bombing have resurrected the electoral prospects of BN (an unexpected windfall), and demonised PAS (perhaps very unfairly), in the minds of potential voters.

As a non-Muslim non-bumiputera Malaysian, I am going to scrutinise very closely any proposal to replace the secular federal constitution with any type of religious document.

Like most non-Muslim non-bumi Malaysians, I am very concerned with the place of secularism in PAS vision of an Islamic state.

Nevertheless I will give PAS full credit where credit is due.

PAS has raised the standards of politicking in this country by taking an ethical stand on a number of issues.

Although I am no great fan of their fiery holier-than-thou-oratory, I note the following points:

  • PAS has steadfastly chosen to leave the race card out of its electoral platform altogether.

  • PAS does not accuse me of being unpatriotic on the basis of my ethnicity.

  • PAS does not ever suggest I do not belong in this country.

  • PAS does not even try to justify unequal treatment on the basis of ethnicity.

  • PAS does not attempt to demonise me either as an economic, religious, cultural or linguistic threat in the eyes of the dominant ethnic majority community.

  • PAS does not practise the divide-and-rule racial politicking that has characterised BN- dominated Malaysian politics for the last half-century.

    • It is not that I expect great and radical changes in racial attitudes in Malaysia if PAS were to win political power in the near future.

    The point I want to make here is that PAS has set the pace for non-racial politicking in the present. Umno-BN will therefore be forced to target the rampant corruption, cronyism and nepotism in its own ranks if it is serious about staying in power.

    I trust Umno-BN will find the current voting public a lot less forgiving especially in the wake of the Asian financial crisis, and in the wake of the Anwar Ibrahim debacle that hinted very strongly at widespread malfeasance in the highest corridors of power. PAS' ethical, non-racial stand has meant that Umno-BN will find it increasingly difficult to play the race card to win cheap votes.

    BN will either have to reform itself, root and branch, and deliver on its promises of cekap, bersih dan amanah within the next five years or risk losing power altogether. For now, the relative absence of inflammatory ethnic rhetoric can only be good news for all Malaysians, whatever their ethnic origins.

    May the least corrupt, most democratic, and most colour-blind political party win.