The Chinese are no longer wary or afraid of Islam, for they have seen that there is nothing to fear from the rule of PAS in Kelantan, which uses Islam as the basis for its governance.

"Among the Chinese, Islamophobia is lessening," Kelantan caretaker Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat told the audience at the launch of the book Bicara ini untuk Ilahi (This discourse is for God) in Shah Alam today.

This, Nik Aziz said, is because the practise of Islam in the state has worked to "change the mindset" of non-Muslims towards Islamic governance and what it really entails.

He pointed to the statement by DAP leaders in defiance of an investigation by the Registrar of Societies into alleged improprieties in the recent party election, which could see the DAP being deregistered.

"They said that if they are deregistered they will stand under the ‘moon logo' of our party," Nik Aziz added, giving this as another proof that fear of Islam is no longer there among the Chinese .

azlan The bogeyman of the Islamic state has been used by the BN and Umno to demonise PAS to the Chinese and other non-Muslims, a perception which is being gradually diluted with the experience of non-Muslims in PAS-ruled Kelantan.

With the new understanding, an official wing for non-Muslim in the Islamic party was formed, absorbing them as associate members.

He also pointed to the genial acceptance of the Chinese and non-Muslims in general, toward the Islamic party-led state government programmes as being very encouraging, notwithstanding Umno’s interference in state affairs via the Federal Development Department shadowing the state administration.

Nik Aziz related how when plans for the Kelantan state-funded highway was announced, he was invited by the chief Buddhist monk in the state to receive over RM70,000 in cash contributions for the project gathered by the monks.

This was in contrast with the state Umno, which sent an old hod or handcart and some old tools to the state government building.

Similarly, he mentioned how previously when the state announced that it wanted to build a bridge in the state, the local Umno representative said that if the plan came to pass, he would run naked up and down the length of the bridge.

“They (the non-Muslims) did this because they see that the Islam brought by PAS is the correct path. But as for Umno, this shows their (contentious) mindset,” bemoaned Nik Aziz.

'Federal funds cut off'

The party spiritual leader added that Umno’s “evil” victimisation of the state by cutting off the spigot of federal funding just because the rakyat voted for a PAS government is a black mark against the party and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

“It does not matter wether he is the PM or the finance minister, when you do wrong you will be judged,” he said.

In PAS-ruled Kelantan, funds usually channeled directly to state governments in other states are shunted through a federal agency formed to oversee federal administration in the state, resulting in clashing policies and chaos as federal agencies do not coordinate with the state administration.

azlan Other than just cutting off funds, Umno, he said, is not loath to using whatever they can to hit out at perceived enemies, pointing to arrests and detention of political personalities under the now-defunct Internal Security Act (ISA).

“They detained Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang, his son Lim Guan Eng, Mahfuz Omar under the ISA. All of whom when released were voted into office by the rakyat. This shows that these people were never a threat to national security, but are considered dangerous to Umno,” he quipped.

The federal government has been accused of misusing the ISA for political arrests, although it has denied this and repealed the unpopular Act, replacing it with the Security Offences Special Measures Act (Sosma), which some say is a more draconian cake dressed in liberal icing and chocolate chip public relations sprinkles.

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