Zaid Ibrahim: G18 party should be for Muslims only
(The Star) – The splinter political party that is set to be formed by the PAS progressive leaders should be reserved for Muslims only, says lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (pic).
He said it was the only way the new party, which could come into being after Hari Raya, could challenge PAS.
“Already they have no turban and skull cap in their daily attire; this will handicap them. So to bring non-Muslims in will be added problems for the new party.
“It will be another PKR and disastrous for Mat Sabu (former PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu) and friends,” he said in a blog post, referring to the PAS progressives who call themselves G18.
Zaid said the new party could represent the party of the future if it could be the face of “intellectual Islam” and refrain from presenting a “holier-than-thou” version.
“If it can offer Malays a political Islam that abhors corruption and abuse of power; if it can struggle for justice of all Malaysians; if it can somehow bring Islamic ideas home to roost but nonetheless always be able to accommodate modern-day realities; then that’s the party of the future,” he wrote.
He warned that such a feat will not be easy to achieve, adding that it would be a test for the Malays to decide the kind of future they wished for themselves and the country.
“This is not easy to achieve though, because we have no intellectual traditions, and Muslims here only know Islam as the Do’s and Dont’s.
“Its all about punishment. That’s why the ulamaks (sic) are pushing for hudud and other criminal laws.
“The new group must however try to bring into public affairs a different idea of Islam that is kind and forgiving,” he said.
Zaid also said the new party needed to be mindful of accusations that it is a “wing of DAP”, as many Malays would not join the party if it appeared to be a DAP surrogate.
“For the new party to be successful it must be independent financially and intellectually as well as ideologically strong.
“It needs an economic plan that supports the poor, even their other partners are against them. The new party must fight for the underclass because that’s what Islam is about,” he added.
PAS faction Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (PasMa) announced last week it would form a new political party consisting of PAS progressives who had lost in the party’s recent elections.
Its president Datuk Phahrolrazi Zawawi said the new party could replace PAS in a new opposition pact with PKR and DAP, after the new PAS leadership’s motion to cut ties with DAP had effectively ended the seven-year Pakatan Rakyat partnership.
