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Appearing dormant does not mean we have given up

COMMENT “Tell me, what is your preference? An opposition that is truly united or one that fakes it out just for the sake of the general election?”

In my article yesterday, I shared my own outlook of the coming general election and said that hope is not lost. Appearing dormant does not mean that we have given up, but only shows the need for the politicians to draw up new strategies to reach those who are still on the fence.

That question which I asked a friend of mine struck a chord. He immediately replied: “A true united front, but is that possible?” Apparently, like many other doubting Thomases, he was still sitting on the fence.

According to him, both PAS and Bersatu make the equation more difficult to accept. During the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s time, PAS had a clear stand that it would have nothing to do with Umno and hudud was not its priority.

PAS was more balanced when it had leaders in the likes of Mohamad Sabu who is fondly known as Mat Sabu, Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Khalid Samad and SaariSungrib. Now, what is left of PAS are the ulama who are aligned to its president, Abdul HadiAwang.

Cooperation with PAS?

Today, PAS appears to be going to bed with Umno over the amendments to Act 355, which some believe will pave the way for the implementation of hudud laws in Malaysia.

PAS needs Umno’s support to achieve its objectives, while Umno and Barisan Nasional need the support of PAS’ grassroots in seats with a non-Muslim majority.

There is a 50-50 chance that PAS and Umno may negotiate for a one-to-one fight against Pakatan Harapan. This is because Umno knows that the Malays are now divided between Harapan, PAS and Umno.

However, the BN has failed to realise that Umno’s push for the amendments to Act 355 is already disappointing the East Malaysian voters.

The electoral roll in both states are quite different from West Malaysia, where voters have already made up their minds since 2008 for whom they will vote.

The current push for the Act 355 amendments, and the non-Muslim BN members of Parliament now giving in to the whims and fancies of PAS, is already disillusioning the East Malaysian voters. In West Malaysia, it is already backfiring, with a number of groups including a multiracial G25 saying that the bill is divisive.

MCA recently made a most unforgiveable statement when its secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan said that it would not interfere in issues related to Islam, including the Act 355 amendments.

BN leaders appear to have forgotten that the majority of the voters in East Malaysia, especially Sarawakians, are Christians. They are quite different even from many of us in West Malaysia.

They may not turn out at Bersih events, but the big turnout of 2,000 people in Sibu during the candlelight vigil to stand in solidarity with West Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh showed that they would rather vote according to religious lines. The vigil showed that in both East and West, there is a greater sense of unity now than before.

Even though hudud may appear to be remote from them, it has already become the subject of many discussions over there. People are asking why Umno is more interested in Act 355 now, while the other federal non-Muslim component parties in BN are not willing to oppose the bill.

One Malaysiakini reader, Drngsc asked: “Please MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan, stop speaking with a forked tongue. Will MCA be objecting to amendments to Act 355 - yes or no? What does, ‘MCA has no plan whatsoever to interfere in issues relating to Islam, including the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355)’ mean?”

So the question is asked, will Pakatan Harapan be able to take PAS into its framework? My answer is “Yes” and “No.” Yes, because PAS can still be in the same pact with Harapan to oust BN from Putrajaya, but it will simply not be joining Harapan the way it did during Nik Aziz’s time.

If what Kelantan state Umno leader Mustapa Mohamed said holds water, both Umno and PAS in Kelantan will still remain as rivals, even though at federal level they are cooperating to push for the Hadi bill.

There is a likelihood that without the support of the non-Muslims and Amanah supporters, PAS may not be able to defend Kelatan in the coming general election...

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