PAS-Umno ‘akad nikah’

The time is ripe for Umno and PAS to close ranks and 'marry' for the sake of Islam and in the name of Muslim brotherhood; it will be a union made in the heavens.

COMMENT

The mating game is played by birds, bees and many others from the animal kingdom. Some go to extreme lengths to execute bizarre courtships, exhibiting rare moves and character to attract the opposing mate.

In similarity, political parties are not far off the mark of playing mating games; and the best analogue is Umno and PAS. There has been bad blood between the two leading Malay centric parties and representative of the majority Muslims collectively, but there have been some dancing opportunities explored lately.

PAS has always claimed to be more Islam than Umno as their core values have been for long gyrating around the religious nucleus. They have vehemently championed hudud laws and syariah way of lifestyle.

According to PAS, those who oppose them may well be ticketing themselves to the gates of hell come judgment day. Since the divorce between PAS and Umno decades ago, reconciliation has taken a back seat until the recent two past general elections.

Wings have flared and the great walls between PAS and Umno are witnessing some porosity on the lines of Islam.

In the just concluded PAS polls, there was a sudden change of hearts and tone in the closing remarks by their leaders. They extended an olive branch to Umno, something not extremely extraordinary in the name of Islamic brotherhood but could be construed as giving a small jolt to their other allies in Pakatan Rakyat.

There is no doubt that Umno and PAS have only one thing common and that is Islam. There cannot be two types of Islam in a country that has only about 18 million Muslim who are citizens.

Can a common aspiration to uphold Islam be the binding factor between PAS and Umno soon?

Lately there have been clarion calls from both that it is time to close ranks and bury the hatchet that has caused a prolonged and continuous rift between them. The trend is indeed leaning quite significantly towards a ‘muzakarah’, thus fueling speculations that soon Malaysia will have syariah laws implemented since the majority are Muslims.

And rightfully too in the eye of many Muslim scholars and experts that since the government has declared Malaysia as an Islamic nation, there is no big deal in stamping it further.

Though the Federal Constitution states Islam as the official religion currently, whilst others can practice their own faiths, there is no prohibition to amend it to “Malaysia is an Islamic country” if there are two thirds majority agreeing for it in Parliament.

Fearing the unknown

That is a very achievable possibility since there are more Muslim law makers put together than other races from different faiths.

It will be unimaginable to see no show of hands from the Muslim members of parliament if either PAS or Umno was to table the motion to make Malaysia an Islamic state by statute.

Let us just steer a little while from Malaysian. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are officially Muslim countries. That has not retard other faiths and their believes.

So why DAP, MCA and other Chinese political and non political organisations are against Islamic laws in Malaysia? If they are truly Malaysians, they are obligated to toe the lines of the majority, and on the contrary press for the syariah system to open up even to non-Muslims.

Are the Chinese not being hypocrites when they are making money from the various syariah compliant financial systems like the sukuk bonds and other whole lot of Islamic banking system but against Islamic laws?

Will they not seek redress from the syariah courts if there was are legal issue surrounding the sukuk bonds in the future since it carries an Islamic certificate?

A united PAS and Umno will definitely navigate Malaysia to greater achievements. Unfounded fear breeds devils in the minds of many, and unfortunately the non-Muslim politicians in the opposition front are riding immorally on the weaker bonds among the Muslims here.

No religion on the entire planet has 100% of its followers perfect. That is a fact. Unfortunately here in Malaysia, opportunists are making a mockery of Islam, even many Muslims themselves for their own personal worldly gains.

If PAS advocates as being a better Islamic representative, then they should take a challenge to join Umno and cleanse the Umno Islam to the true precepts of the religion from within.

Only then PAS will truly be answering the call of Islam.

Narinder Singh is a FMT team member.