Should the Rulers be the head of Islam then?
So, dear comrade Mat Sabu, your input on this please. Should the rulers’ power over Islam be removed so that they can no longer ‘interfere’ in matters of religion and so that we can end the current madness spreading all over Malaysia due to the confusion created by ‘dual powers’ over Islam?
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
PAS opposes granting Sultan of Johor admin powers, says Mat Sabu
(The Malaysian Insider) – PAS has joined the chorus of opposition to grant the Sultan of Johor administrative powers under a bill to be tabled in the Johor legislative assembly tomorrow.
The Johor Housing and Real Property Board Enactment 2014 (“Johor Bill”) will give the sultan executive powers.
PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said: “PAS supports the constitutional role of the Malay rulers as defined by the Federal Constitution… efforts to give Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar executive powers should never happen,” he said a press conference at the PAS headquarters today.
Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, said any attempt to drag the palace into administrative matters would only tarnish the constitutional monarchy.
********************************************
That is a most interesting statement by PAS leader Mat Sabu. I really do not have much to say about the matter and will leave it to the ‘democratic process’ to decide one way or another. After all, at the end of the day, the rakyat should decide.
What I would like to know, however, would be what PAS thinks about the role of the rulers in matters of religion, in this case Islam. Are the rulers not ‘interfering’ in matters of religion and, therefore, can be said to have executive powers instead of merely being a ‘hands-off’ constitutional monarch?
Religion is a state matter. So are land and natural resources — water included but excluding oil and gas. Hence if the rulers can ‘interfere’ in state matters involving religion, why can’t they also ‘interfere’ in state matters involving land and natural resources?
And if the rulers should not ‘interfere’ in state matters involving land and natural resources, why are they allowed to ‘interfere’ in state matters involving religion?
The issue of land and natural resources is a serious matter because they involve the wealth of the state. But religion is an even more serious matter because we are not only seeing many disputes regarding religion of late but if not carefully handled these disputes can result in loss of life, limb and property.
Land and natural resources is only about money. Civil strife is about peace and stability. I would put peace and stability above money because if your country burns or your family is massacred money is no longer important.
So, dear comrade Mat Sabu, your input on this please. Should the rulers’ power over Islam be removed so that they can no longer ‘interfere’ in matters of religion and so that we can end the current madness spreading all over Malaysia due to the confusion created by ‘dual powers’ over Islam?
