Can PAS really woo non-Malay voters?

Where does PAS stand in relation to non-Malay voters?

Some analysts argue that the party has gained more ground among the non-Malay voters since the last general election in March 2008.

Says political analyst Wong Chin Huat: "For many years, the choice has been crystal clear - if you want to be more Islamic, you choose PAS."

However, he says, such positioning had restricted PAS to the Malay-Muslim constituencies mainly in the four northern states in the peninsula - Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu - and in some of the other rural constituencies.

He says the post-1999 overzealous pursuit of Islamisation, including the production of a blueprint for an Islamic state, has cost the party its support - both from its non-Muslim and Muslim supporters, who care more about economic well-being than religious laws.

"The realisation of these limitations and mistakes has driven PAS to reach out to non-Malays and non-Muslims in the past few years," says Wong.

He says the party's strategists have come up with a calculated move "to restore the right balance" with a centre-ground or middle-path approach - by articulation of ‘welfare state’ and ‘PAS for all’ - aimed at the general population.

"Internally, PAS has been projected as the party that represents religious conservatism or puritanism while externally it can permit cultural or religious autonomy for minorities insofar that it does not threaten its commitment to Islam," adds Wong.

PAS at crossroads

Another political analyst Dr Sivamurugan Pandian points out, however, that PAS is currently at a crossroads.

He says the party is risking alienating its hardcore support if it puts too much emphasis on the middle-path approach as this will be seen as going back on its original struggle.

"Its hardcore supporters, who have been with the party all this while, will not like it. No doubt, it has been doing well winning over the non-Malay and non Muslim voters, but it is now at greater risk of alienating the hardcore supporters," he says.

Sivamurugan says PAS has not actually dealt with the issue of brewing internal conflict or differing opinions among two major groups in the party on how the party should move forward.  

He says there is conflict between the conservative faction, mainly comprising the ulama, and the moderate or professional faction dubbed the "young Turks".

"It (PAS) has not tackled this issue completely but used the seasonal approach by adopting or taking the middle ground in order to create a win-win situation acceptable to both groups. If this is going to prolong, PAS will end up depending on non-Malay voters," he says.

" It will be a real problem because its goal and objective and ideology are for an Islamic state. Certainly, it is in a real dilemma," he adds.

Therefore, it was not surprising when PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said PAS will not amend its constitution to allow non-Muslims to become full-fledged members but is ready to field them in elections.  

The move was approved by its Ulama Council, enabling those who joined the PAS Supporters Club to contest in the general election, but some analysts view the move as another effort by the party to show that it is not alienating its hardcore supporters.

Not political expediency

PAS strategist and PAS Central Working Committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad dispels the notion that the party is taking the middle path due to political expediency.

"We took this stand after we conducted a thorough research and had a deep look at what the Quran has said about it. It is not due to political expediency. It's actually based on actual Islam teachings, based on the practice of the Quran. Islam is supposed to be the middle path," he tells Bernama .

PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan At-Tantawi explains that the effort to upgrade the PAS Supporters Club to Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (DHPS) will not affect support from the Malay community.

He says PAS is targeting to increase its Malay support by between 15 and 20 percent, and the party's central leadership is expected to meet after the current ‘muktamar’ (general assembly) to finalise strategies.  

The party has reportedly engaged the services of an opinion poll researcher to identify the concerns of the Malay voters, especially in the west coast and southern peninsula, with the hope of making significant inroads in the Umno strongholds.

However, the task will not be easy as PAS will also be competing against the Malay rights group, Perkasa, led by Ibrahim Ali, which has been gaining popularity since its inception in 2008.

- Bernama