Is Jati for real or just a Perkasa clone?

Only time will tell whether they are birds of the same feather, castigating and threatening non Malays each time the issue of Islam, Malay rights and Malay rulers crops up.

COMMENT

When the Malay supremacy outfit Perkasa made its debut in 2008 and later proved itself to be an out and out racist movement, our peace-loving rakyat could only hope that someday the curtains would draw on this entity led by a flippant politician, Ibrahim Ali.

Regrettably, Perkasa seems to be thriving and that too, with the federal government’s “blessings”.

Now, come Feb 21, another movement will make its entry – Jati.  Meaning “pure” in Malay, it is the brainchild of axed Selangor state executive councillor Hasan Ali with only one aim – to fulfill his agenda of defending Islam, Malay privileges and loyalty to the Malay rulers.

Only time will tell whether Perkasa and Jati are birds of the same feathers or have agendas of their own. But for now, a disgruntled Hasan, the former PAS commissioner for Selangor is wasting no time condemning all those he claims played a hand in his dismissal from PAS where he had remained for 11 years.

Hasan was given the boot on Jan 8, a day before the High Court gave its verdict on the Anwar Ibrahim-Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan sodomy trial after Hasan criticised the pro-Anwar march as a waste of time.

Prior to his sacking on Jan 8, Hasan held the Islamic Affairs, Malay Customs, Infrastructure and Public Amenities portfolio which has since been taken over by the Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim.

Hasan was also previously chairperson of the Selangor Micro Credit Scheme for the Rural Poor and Malay Customs and Heritage Corporation respectively.

His unceremonious departure from PAS has left him angry; he is livid that PAS showed no respect for his struggles to defend Islam and all matters pertaining to it. He has publicly laid the blame for his sacking from PAS on DAP and “parasites” in PAS.

Hasan has gone on to say that Jati, the latest political platform in town, would be a “third force” and would play a crucial role in helping to decide who should form the next government.

While Hasan is unhappy that PAS is deviating from its Islamic agenda, he claims his affection is still with the party, and he wants to rid the party of “parasites” he alleges are working to destroy its Islamist struggle.

Jati will be a reality on Feb 21 and Hasan has urged other NGOs to merge to form a “third force” that would offset BN and opposition parties PAS, PKR and DAP come the 13th general election.

Disrespectful and suspicious of Christians
Thus far, Hasan has shown no respect and tolerance towards Malaysians of other faiths. His primary target has always been the Christians. He keeps harping that Muslims are being proselytised by Christians.

He has even accused Christians of using solar-powered talking Bibles to convert Muslims.

The 64-year-old Hasan also wholeheartedly supported the Himpunan Sejuta Umat, or Gathering of a Million Faithful, a movement started by Muslim NGOs to “rise up to the challenge of Christianisation” on Oct 22 last year.

He also defended the controversial raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya on Aug 3 last year.

During his close to four years tenure as exco in charge of Islamic affairs, Hasan banned the sale of liquor in Shah Alam’s convenience stores, barring the liquor-selling entertainment spots in Subang  Jaya from employing Muslim workers and cracking down on “indecent” acts on Valentine’s Day.

His Islamist agenda and that too at the expense of the other faiths was enough to earn the wrath of his Pakatn Rakyat colleagues.

Hasan’s last “hurrah” was a New Year’s Eve raid on Laundry Bar, an entertainment outlet in Petaling Jaya. Prior to this, this former civil servant-turned politician criticised PAS in Umno-controlled media such as Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and TV3 for purportedly abandoning its Islamist credentials for the sake of political gain.

Will Jati follow in the footsteps of Perkasa, castigating and threatening the non Malays each time the issue of Islam, Malay rights and Malay rulers crops up?

Hasan’s ambition of making sure Islam reigns in all spheres is only going to create more problems.

To adopt a sacrosant attitude towards one religion and to belittle another is not the making of a god-fearing man who has declared that his loyalty lies with Allah only.

Jati should not become the bane in perserving unity among the people; should Hasan continue with his approach of condemning other faiths and making wild accusations against the non Malays, it will not be long before Jati too gets the boot.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.