PAS and YOU

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Jun 9, 2009

Growing up reading The Star and Berita Harian, PAS is like a bad word. PAS in my growing up days equates extremist Islam, backwardness, turbans and a bit of terrorism. And quite a bit more negative aspects.

By Simon Templar (Salt, Pepper ANd a little Kicap (SPAnK)

Hmmm… PAS. This is a very difficult subject. I have quite a bit to say about them (as a subject) but I don't really know where to start. I had some line of thoughts yesterday but streamyx was cranky. So, my 'ideas' were 'tertelan'.

Let's start with my stand on PAS. Growing up reading The Star and Berita Harian, PAS is like a bad word. PAS in my growing up days equates extremist Islam, backwardness, turbans and a bit of terrorism. And quite a bit more negative aspects. After all, the pictures of their leaders never seem to make them look like one of us, average urban Malaysians. So, naturally there is this fear of them and everything that they represent. I don't think that it is too far fetched to say that they put fear of Islam in me too.

But my opinion of PAS started to change since I started my working life. I've had ex-colleagues from Kelantan. I've been sent to Kelantan for some short term work. And of course the internet gives you views from every angle. Kelantanese are very different from Klang Valley citizens, that's for sure. What I notice is that Kelantanese are very protective of Kelantan regadless of whether they are a Malay or Chinese. (I don't know any Indians from Kelantan though). The most frequent reply I get from them is 'you all don't understand Kelantan'. Which is true. The media has projected PAS and Kelantan to us based on what they want us to belief. And it is all for political mileage. I dare say that Kelantan is less racist than Klang Valley. The people there are really friendly.

And PAS is not all about chopping hands and stoning to death. Yes, they have their 'hudud' but what do we non-Muslims know about hudud? Before we comment on anything, have we done any research or are we simply being led by the government owned media spins or CNN's bias reporting? There is much more to the hudud law then simply physical punishment but we choose to see the negative side only. I won't comment further cause I am no expert in this subject but suffice that I say that the most of us do not know jack shit in Islamic laws in its true from. In fact most of us do not know jack shit about Islam. I am not a religious person but I do belief that no religion promotes anything bad. If it is bad, I bet you that that bad element is a result of wrong interpretation by soem dumb followers to justify his/her actions. (By the way, why is stoning to death not acceptable while death by hanging, lethal injection or electrocution accepted?)

Ok ok… This is not about Islam. This is about PAS. So, what I am trying to say is that I no longer fear PAS. In fact I see merit in many of their policies. Free your mind. Open up to what is not norm to you. Not everything you are unused to is bad.

PAS and it's economics. Why vote PAS and send us back to stone age like Kelantan. If this is your line of thoughts, how shallow can you get? Are you not aware of how Malaysian politics work? Has anyone actually thought that PAS is not able to develop Kelantan simply because the federal government deprive them of funds rightly due to them? Are they supposed to build the state out of sand? Just because most of their leaders are clerics does not make them economic idiots. But the reality is Kelantan is rich in nothing and is not exactly that well geographically located. Given the right resources, am sure they can make the state a much better place. At the very least, you as a taxpayer will know that wastages will be at a minimum and corruption is going to be a rarity. On the other hand, UMNO and BN is guaranteed to squander our money and pocket a whole lot of them.

Nevertheless, I do think that PAS has many faults. Be fair to them la, no political party is perfect. And the most recent imperfection is the rejection of liberals in PAS. That's how I see Husam Musa's defeat in their just ended muktamar. It's not that I don't like Nasharuddin Isa, actually I know jack shit about him, but I would like to see a PAS leadership with a balanced liberals and clerics. After all, I am hoping that PAS will form the next government with DAP and PKR via Pakatan Rakyat.

Furthermore, I am not too pleased with them raising the "unity government with UMNO" issue again. PAS has to understand that their recent 'victories' in securing non-Muslim votes has got a lot to do with the votes being given to PR and not PAS. I am sure than PAS on their own will not garner these votes. I think the party has never seen such strong support in their lifetime and is presently a little way over themselves. They need to wake. up. Many Malaysians are voting PAS for a change in government. Please do not equate the votes as support for PAS and its ideologies. If they continue doing this, the whole cause will be lost and UMNO will regain it's footings. That will be a shame. Sometimes, with all these talks coming out of PAS, don't you just wonder that if UMNO really have their people planted in PAS. It's really stupid talk, really. Very much stabbing themselves.