After the party, PAS begins real work of increasing support

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Nov 25, 2013

(TMI) – Taken together, these themes reflect the process by which PAS reconciles its founding principles as an Islamist movement and the demands a political party trying to be relevant in a multi-religious, open and complex society.

God does not hand you victory if you have not earned it, said a PAS activist from Kota Raja as cleaners began clearing up the remains of the party’s 59th assembly last night.

He wasn’t talking about the party’s heated elections over the weekend. In his own way, he was reviewing his party, where it stood now and how to move it forward.

But his observation seemed to encapsulate the anxieties and the challenges voiced repeatedly in the assembly, from reviewing cooperation in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to polemics about “ulama v Erdogans” to how to “win back the Malay vote”.

Taken together, these themes reflect the process by which PAS reconciles its founding principles as an Islamist movement and the demands a political party trying to be relevant in a multi-religious, open and complex society.

Requesting anonymity so that he could talk freely, the activist recounted the controversy over a PAS-organised heavy metal concert held a day before the assembly started, to get his point across.

Some delegates criticised the concert organisers and questioned whether an event that featured loud, heavy metal music was appropriate for an Islamist party.

“But the critics did not see that we had a prayer session before the concert began. We also had (PAS education bureau chief) ustaz Abu Bakar Chik speaking to the audience. There was nothing haram forbidden in Islam) in the event.”

The concert was PAS’s latest experiment in trying to broaden its appeal among different segments of the 20-something crowd. It has also held concerts featuring talks by celebrity religious speakers.

The activist’s contention was that if the party’s conservatives refused to broaden PAS’s appeal with programmes like this, then how was it going get the support it needed to gain federal power?

“You can’t just bring people to you if you’re just going to hold kuliah Maghrib (religious talks after evening prayers),” said the activist.

In other words, PAS as a party has to realise that it will take more than religious teachers and scholars to earn the trust it needs from the public, to give it the reins of the country.