PAS needs to be consistent and credible

By MT Webmaster Last updated Dec 16, 2015

PAS is going to be very alone in this world if its friends are based on whether they accept the Islamic State and Hudud. Umno, in fact, is going to be the least of PAS’s problems. And why is PAS still in the Selangor State Government? PAS should get out of the Selangor State Government because Selangor, too, will not accept an Islamic State and Hudud.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

No way for PAS-Umno tie-up: Tuan Ibrahim

(Sin Chew Daily) — PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the party adhered to the Islamic principles in its political struggle while Umno subscribed to the realism and nationalism.

Because of the completely different political philosophies, Tuan Ibrahim said it was impossible for PAS and Umno to work together.

Moreover, he said since its inception Umno had been practicing oppressive regime to suppress PAS’ leaders and members.

“When PAS captured the Terengganu state administration, the oil royalty agreement was vetoed.”

Tuan Ibrahim also pointed out that PAS never really secured BN’s support on hudud although they had promised to do so.

He also said Najib had said he would work with PAS but that was mainly to divert the public’s attention from his own crisis, adding that PAS would never hold out a hand to bail out a party on the brink of collapse.

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PAS needs to be consistent and credible in its statements, especially if it comes from someone like its Deputy President or President. What Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said lacks both consistency and credibility. And this is going to hurt PAS even more after being already hurt by the developments over this last year.

First of all, it was Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who withdrew the 5% oil royalty due to the State of Terengganu in 2000 a few months after Barisan Alternatif won the state in the November 1999 general election. It was a personal decision by Dr Mahathir.

But then did not PAS work with Dr Mahathir in 2006 when he made his move to oust Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? And is not PAS, or some of those in PAS, now supporting Dr Mahathir in his move to oust Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak?

The PAS-led Barisan Alternatif state government of Terengganu fell in 2004 because it did not have money and the voters were tired of being poor. So they swung to Umno in 2004 so that the state could once again become rich.

So Dr Mahathir used the oil royalty, or the lack of it, to bring down PAS in Terengganu. And Dr Mahathir was opposed to, and is still opposed to, an Islamic State and the Islamic Sharia laws of Hudud. But still PAS cooperated with Dr Mahathir when it suited them.

Now, it must be remembered that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Tun Mohamed Salleh Abas were the architects of the Petroleum Development Act 1974. Tun Salleh is a PAS member who contested the 1999 general election while Tengku Razaleigh was the President of Semangat 46 who PAS tied up with in the 1990 general election.

The Act was so ‘tight’ that the Terengganu State Government found it difficult to challenge Dr Mahathir’s action of withdrawing the oil royalty in court. And this was the fault of Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Salleh, two friends of PAS. The law allowed Dr Mahathir to do what he did. And Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Salleh are to blame for that.

True, Umno never supported Hudud. Neither did all the other component members of Barisan Nasional. But then neither did Semangat 46, PKN (now PKR), PRM (now merged with PKR), PSM, DAP and so on. But that did not stop PAS from entering into a coalition with Semangat 46, PKN, PKR, PRM, DAP, etc.

In fact, PAS signed an Agreement with DAP on the basis that the two parties would agree to disagree regarding the Islamic State and Hudud. We agree with 95% of the issues, said PAS, we only disagree with 5%. So they agreed to disagree on the 5% — the Islamic State and Hudud in particular.

It was Umno (or in particular Dr Mahathir) who elevated the status of the Sharia court and made it par with the civil court. In fact, that is the source of most of the country’s problems concerning Islam — because we no longer know which court takes precedence over legal matters concerning Islam.

Is PAS opposed to this, since it is something that Umno or Dr Mahathir did? Does PAS want the Sharia court to be made secondary to the civil court like it used to be? Does PAS oppose this just because it is something that Umno or Dr Mahathir did and anything Umno is considered bad?

Tuan Ibrahim said PAS cannot work with Umno “because of the completely different political philosophies” of the two parties. But it can work with all the non-Umno parties in spite of “the completely different political philosophies”.

DAP, or rather Karpal Singh, said that PAS can implement Hudud “over my dead body”. But PAS did not whack DAP or Karpal. In fact, PAS remained friends with DAP and stayed in the DAP-led opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat. Najib never said “over my dead body” to an Islamic State or Hudud.

PAS and its leaders should weigh each statement carefully before making them. If you cannot work with or be friends with any party that opposes an Islamic State or Hudud then PAS will have no friends at all. PAS will be all alone in this world.

PAS opposes Israel, which is considered anti-Islam. The West also opposes the Islamic State. That means PAS has to break diplomatic relations with the whole world except maybe with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. Even Indonesia, other that some provinces such as Aceh, is opposed to the Islamic State and Hudud.

By the way, I also do not support an Islamic State or Hudud but I support PAS and its President Abdul Hadi Awang. And if you want to regard me as your enemy then that is your prerogative. But I do not regard you as my enemy just because we differ on the subject of an Islamic State and Hudud.

Raja Petra Kamarudin RPK