Whither PAS as a political party in Malaysia? For quite some years now Parti PAS has been the "loose cannon" in the now-fractured coalition of Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
The political party's behaviour has resulted in many Malaysians putting on their thinking caps to wonder what next they will come up with to confound people.
In the Selangor Mentri Besar crisis, the odd and peculiar nature of PAS has surfaced in full measure, to indicate to Malaysians that they are akin to "a dangerous dark horse" from which anything can happen.
If Malaysians now believe that PAS will form a unity government with UMNO, it is believable. If Malaysians believe that a PAS candidate can be the chief minister of Selangor, it is believable.
In fact, anything about PAS is now believable.
Probing the mind of its leader
PAS president, Hadi Awang, is not exactly a person whose mind can be read accurately by anyone because his stance and behaviour for some years now have been not only inconsistent but unpredictable.
Just as a fish rots from the head, the ultra-religious Parti PAS is now seeing the rot begin to set in from its ailing and ageing leader.
Hadi Awang, of late, often beggars belief in the unusual manner in which he comes to make decisions on the role of the political party within PR.
By submitting names of his own as chief minister candidate, in a departure from toeing the line of PR to just name a sole candidate, Hadi has broken free from the PR norm of consensual decision making.
By striking out on his own, it shows the volatile and unstable mind of Hadi as party members within PAS are now in a quandary over what his actual aims and objectives are as they are really now puzzled by him.
Is Hadi a misogynist? Does he in any way harbour ill intentions over a woman being the head of the state of the Selangor government? Is he in any way an ultra-chauvinistic Muslim who dislikes a woman being in authority?
Though Hadi has personally stated that he has no ill will against Wan Azizah being the chief minister of Selangor, there lurks under this statement a contradictory belief that he goes strictly by archaic and obsolete teachings of Islam that does not recognize gender equality.
It is easy to see in the mind of Hadi that he has misgivings and apprehension over his supposed belief in the "feminisation" of the state of Selangor.
In the mind of Hadi, it is just inconceivable and unacceptable that Wan Azizah, a woman, usurp his traditional and staid Islamic thinking of being in authority of men in the state.
This is why Hadi's real intent is to try and get a male to run the show and he has seized upon the political equation in Selangor to try and ensure that a woman does not get to go to the top to govern.
Is Hadi's thinking right?
Hadi's assertions so far appear to be all along religious rather than secular thinking. He himself is considered to be the state of Trengganu's worst ever chief minister.
Therefore, in this instance, he really has no 'locus standi' to state any claim over who should be the chief minister of Selangor.
Having failed in his own appointment as chief minister of Trengganu, he has failed to amass sufficient credentials to be in the position of power broker to determine who should be the chief minister of Selangor.
This is why if Hadi really wants Parti PAS to get anywhere in the political sphere of Malaysia, he and the followers of PAS should just close ranks and toe the line of PR.
This is important. It is important for the well-being of PR and right now the state of Selangor that Hadi and PAS throw their full and entire weight of support behind PR.
PR is expectedly on the threshold of coming to full power in the next general election and it does not at this stage need the opposition coalition to be divided and at loggerheads.
This is the time to come together. This is the time for PR leaders to have 'consensus ad idem' or a meeting of minds.
For the sake of the future of Malaysia, to safeguard and protect the generations of Malaysians that will come on-stream in future, Hadi needs to realize that if he does not unite with other PR leaders in a unified way, he is set to see the state of Selangor lost like Kedah and Perak to BN.
This is the danger that he must avert and avoid at all cost as it will throw a spanner in the works of any opportunity the opposition coalition of PR has of taking over the reins of power in Putrajaya.
Not the time to bargain for power
By going it alone and going it his way, Hadi faces censure by PR leaders and also from a vast majority of his own supporters within the party.
This is not the time to bargain for power, neither is it the time to break away, if that's what Hadi has on his mind next, if they fail to get their way.
The alternative for Parti PAS is to form a unity government with Barisan Nasional. Is this really going in the right direction?
In the first instance this kind of merger or pact will be a bit like sleeping with the enemy. There is no comfort and no way this kind of arrangement is going to go down well for either PAS or BN.
This is why PAS needs to banish forever the idea or even the thought of cosying up with BN as this sort of venture will never be acceptable by the majority of its supporters.
The best bet for PAS
Hadi's gamble so far has not paid off at all while it looks like Anwar and PKR and DAP are actually playing their cards close to their chest.
What is set to unfold in future for PR is really to be determined by the decisions that Hadi makes as PAS supremo.
The power and influence that Hadi wields within Parti PAS is tremendous and for the sake of the future of Malaysians it is hoped that reason will prevail by Hadi and he will not upset the PR apple cart.
The best bet that Hadi can hope for is to strengthen and further deepen the bond within PR and build the opposition coalition into a solid and unified whole that can act as a counter weight to BN and in the next general election seize power to benefit all of Malaysia.
If they choose strange and ambiguous ways to go about their politics, it is obviously set to work against them.
This is why they should hedge their bets with PR once and for all and burn other alternatives completely.
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