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Friday, March 11, 2011

An academician in politician’s clothing

Dzulkefly Ahmad, PAS' political think-tank and CWC member, speaks of moral policing, the siege mentality and treading the political path.

INTERVIEW

PETALING JAYA: The normally spirited Dzulkefly Ahmad was a little subdued when he entered the PAS Research Centre’s boardroom. Midway through his pleasantries, his phone rang – another journalist wanting statistics on Bumiputera equity.

The 53-year-old Kuala Selangor MP and a member of PAS’s central working committe, rubbed his forehead and furrowed his brow as he answered the questions.When he finally hung up, he smiled wanly and said: “I’m hypoglycemic and am not having the best day. So I hope you’re not going to ask me for any statistics or analysis!”

No, none of those. But perhaps one on moral policing. At this Dzulkefly fell back in his chair with a loud groan of dismay and
proclaimed: “Moral policing is such a pain in the neck for PAS!” The party had come under fire for its crackdown on Valentine’s Day – a move which made international news and which many Malaysians slammed as outrageous.

Dzulkefly said he had been dodging requests to write an article on what he deemed as an “acrimonious subject”. “I think moral policing is a word that has been abused,” he began cautiously.

“And it’s a pain point for PAS because we lack the ability to explain exactly what it means. Take for example the fact that Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol. This is syariah. But if it is codified into law it becomes a combination of syariah and common law, and has both a moral and philosophical basis.

“The root of this is either religious (God-given) or secular (societal norms). To execute laws we need some form of enforcement and when this happens, you cannot call it moral policing can you?”

But Dzulkefly was quick to add that the issue wasn’t as simple as having vigilante cops and had to be properly handled to avoid crossing the line between public and private.

“The intent of moral policing is not to intrude on personal life,” he said. “Sometimes overzealousness does more harm than good. There must be serious dialogue and consensus-building, instead of people taking the moral high ground and forcing their values onto others.”

He pointed out that despite its Islamic agenda, PAS doesn’t always side with religious authorities and is at times apprehensive of their hardline stance.

“There it too much of a siege mentality among Muslims. There needs to be a revisit of basic values which are still not well-grasped by those who feel that they are custodians of Islam. They think they are doing a great service to Islam but I, with all humility, say that it is to the contrary.”

The way forward

This outspokenness is precisely why Dzulkefly is one of the party’s better known personalities. His views are often hailed as progressive in what is still viewed as a conservative Islamic party.

After all Dzulkefly publicly supported the Malaysian High Court’s decision to allow a Catholic publication to continue using the word ‘Allah’. He was also in favour of PAS boycotting the recent Kerdau by-election to protest BN’s subversion of a free and fair election.

Yet being called progressive isn’t an accolade that particularly moves him. “It really depends on who is saying it,” he chuckled.

“If it’s party leaders, then it could have been said with tinge of cynicism. If it’s observers then I thank them but frankly I’m not very concerned with labels. I don’t say what I say to be progressive but because I believe it’s the way forward.”

Yet being in the front line wasn’t at all part of Dzulkefly’s plan when he joined PAS in 1998. The party had just begun to mainstream itself but its Islamic agenda still struck a chord in him. The sacking of the then deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, was all the push he needed.

Dzulkefly was immediately appointed director of the PAS Research Centre, a position he held until he won the Kuala Selangor seat in 2008. Today he remains within the party’s think-tank and is a member of its political bureau. The roles resonated with him stronger than that of a politician.

“I was actually more keen on supplying PAS with research-based politics involving strategising and idea-building,” he said.

“This was an area in which the PAS leaders weren’t prepared for because they were used to being recognised for their passion.”

“I never envisioned being an MP although no politician would shy away from such a role. You know what they say about what happens when the going gets tough!”

It wasn’t a casual toss of a clichĂ©. Dzulkefly had to hurriedly harness his own resolve to get going when he was fielded as an 11th hour novice candidate in Kapar in the 1999 general election. He lost by a narrow margin to BN’s P Komala Devi.

His second round in the political ring was in the 2004 general election. Once again he was notified of his candidacy at the last minute but this time he was fielded in his home town and Umno fortress of Rembau. His defeat to BN’s Muhammad Firdaus Rom Harun was imminent and harsher than the last.

By the time 2008 rolled around, Dzulkefly was better prepared. Or so he thought.

“I was deeply involved in formulating PAS’ strategy, conducting polls and preparing the manifesto and road map,” he said. “I was ready. But not for Kuala Selangor. Again the seat was handed to me on the eve of nomination day.”

“I was a stranger to my constituents and worse, they were strangers to me! Yet, I was mentally prepared and had no doubts that I would win. And it’s a foregone conclusion that I will be defending this seat in the next election.”

Racism and religious bigotry

Prior to 2008, PAS’ rule was limited to the Malay belt states and Dzulkefly agreed that its current widespread presence initially took the party by surprise. He recalled how PAS found itself at crossroad during the run up to that momentous election.

“We came face to face with an emerging new politics that demanded political parties to engage constituencies,” he said. “We saw the protest votes coming in and knew that unless we were able to craft our manifesto in a way that reflected our strategic approach we would be right back where we were in 2004.”

This awareness led to a new tagline: ‘PAS For All’. The manifesto no longer pushed for an Islamic state alone but promoted inclusion of all races.

“There cannot be double speak in mixed constituencies,” Dzulkefly stressed. “No political party will stand to last in a country like Malaysia if it practices that. Even Umno will face trouble if it sticks to its ethnic-based politics with its overtones of racism and religious bigotry.”

But while the non-Muslims gradually warmed up to PAS, the ruling government pounced on it for appearing to turn its back on Islam.

“This is untrue,” Dzulkefly firmly said. “We’re not replacing our core strength but adding an extension that will enhance the party. It’s a two-prong approach, not a zero sum game.

Yes we are secularly trained but it is through the Quran that we recognise the need to readdress and recontextualise certain policies.”

“I’ve revisited many dogmas and doctrines that have never been challenged and I see a need for Islamic principles to be translated into dynamic and workable policies. So people may regarded me as progressive but in fact it is Islam that is progressive and providing me with these insights.”

Dzulkefly has an academician’s mind and is a philosopher’s heart. His blogs lists him as a politician and businessman. But he describes himself as an academician in political clothing who puts principles ahead of politics.

“My partisan belief must be based on principles and knowledge-based arguments,” he emphasied. “I hope I will always remain this way and not become a Machiavellian politician. Yes, I’m in Pakatan and in PAS but as far as fighting for the betterment of the people is concerned I will always be bi-partisan.” - FMT

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