PAS’s hardline stance against Gerakan makes it hard for non-muslims to consider PN as an alternative to PH

Can Pas blame the non-Muslims for thinking that under PN’s rule, they are going to be subject to a “my way or the highway” treatment by PAS, where they will be forced to obey PAS even on a matter than is close to their heart, although it does not really concern PAS?

Nehru Sathiamoorthy

That Umno’s Puad Zarkashi was laughing off the threat of Gerakan to quit Perikatan Nasional (PN) if its coalition ally continue to display religious extremism following the controversy over the source of funds for Chinese schools is acceptable.

UMNO and Gerakan are on opposing sides. It is accepted in the rules of engagement, that those who oppose you will subject you to “trash talk.” Such things are accepted as part and parcel of competition, whether it be in sports or politics.

That PAS is saying that “If Gerakan feels uncomfortable with PN, it is free to leave (the coalition) because this is a democratic country,” however, is unfortunate, because PAS is not only on the same side with Gerakan, it is much bigger and stronger than Gerakan.

That PAS is giving Gerakan such a “take it or leave it deal” from a position of advantage, because Gerakan has nowhere else to go, will undoubtedly be seen as a calculated move to force Gerakan to submit to the whims of PAS.

As a matter of fact, this sort of “take and or leave it” deal is often only given to foreign workers, especially the undocumented sort, by exploitative employers, to force these foreign workers to accept whatever deal that the exploitative employers throw at these hapless workers, no matter how unjust or exploitative it is. These exploitative employers give these foreign workers such humiliating terms, because they know that these desperate foreign workers have no other choice but to accept their deal, because they have nowhere else to go.

This is part of the reason why foreign workers are so popular and in demand in Malaysia. They are, because no bona fide citizen of Malaysia will abide such humiliating “take it or leave it” terms. Only these hapless and desperate foreign workers will.

That PAS is choosing to treat Gerakan as how exploitative employers treat a desperate foreign worker, instead of how a fair and just employer will treat a fellow Malaysian worker, is indeed unfortunate.

PAS, let us not forget, does not even have very strong grounds for treating Gerakan in such a humiliating manner. Afterall, the matter that Gerakan is standing up for involves the right of Chinese schools to secure funding for their operation. Chinese schools are not fully funded by the government. The affairs of Chinese school is as far from PAS as the affairs of tahfiz schools is from DAP. Considering all that,  there is no reason for PAS to come out so strongly against Chinese schools getting funding from Tiger beer, when the parents of the children who go to the Chinese school and the teachers of the Chinese schools themselves are only voicing out their disapproval in a much milder manner.

The problem is not that PAS is disapproving of breweries assisting vernacular schools with their funding – a number of non-Muslims like Kua Kia Soong are themselves disapproving of the matter – the issue is really the extent to which PAS is showing its disapproval.

There is really no problem with PAS showing its disapproval of the matter, but it is awkward for PAS to show a greater disapproval of the affair than the parents and teachers of the vernacular schools themselves.

That PAS is showing greater vehemence in the matter than even the parents and teachers of the vernacular schools are showing in the matter, will naturally beg the question, why is PAS doing all this?

If the answer is because PAS cares about the students of the vernacular schools more than the parents and teachers of the vernacular schools itself cares about them, it will be too incredulous.

If the answer is that PAS is just disapproving of the fact that the government stance against the sponsorship of breweries in the funding of schools has been flouted, what PAS should have done is ask the government to explain itself, and address the matter in an analytical manner, instead of attacking it in a categorical manner.

That PAS is showing a vehemence bordering on disgust over the matter, that far exceeds the objections that even the parents and teachers of the said school which received the funding from the brewery are showing, and the fact that it is taking such a harsh line against Gerakan, for merely representing the views that most non-Muslims have on the matter, is naturally raising the question whether PAS sees the non-Muslims in Malaysia as how a fair and just employer will see a local Malaysian worker, or whether it sees them as how an exploitative employer sees a undocumented worker.

That being the case, can Pas blame the non-Muslims for thinking that under PN’s rule, they are going to be subject to a “my way or the highway” treatment by PAS, where they will be forced to obey PAS even on a matter than is close to their heart, although it does not really concern PAS?

The non-Muslims in the country are already having reservations about the rule of Anwar and the Madani government. The problem however is that, if not Anwar and the Madani government, the only other option we have is PN, but if PN is showing us signs that we are going to be subject to humiliating “take it or leave” terms under their rule, what other choice do we have other than to stick with Anwar ?

Is this what PAS wants?