PAS at the crossroads

By Wong Chin Huat (The Nut Graph)

PAS is now at the most important historical juncture in its 58-year life.

Partnering Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the DAP, the Islamists are now only 29 seats away from taking over the federal government.

Winning nearly 80% of Chinese Malaysian support in the recent Bukit Gantang by-election, PAS has superseded the MCA and Gerakan to be the third largest choice for Chinese Malaysian voters after the DAP and PKR. It long overtook the MIC as the third largest party of choice for Indian Malaysian voters, also after PKR and the DAP.

It is telling that in the 2008 general election, PAS won every battle against the MIC outside Johor and Melaka, including the Kota Raja parliamentary seat, which has the highest percentage of Indian Malaysian voters.

                                          Nizar (Pic courtesy of theSun) For the first time, non-Muslim Malaysians are enthusiastically talking about the possibility of a future prime minister from PAS in Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, the popularly elected Perak menteri besar.

The need to differentiate

All these achievements come with a heavy price: an identity crisis.

Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/pas-at-the-crossroads