Chinese will abandon PAS, warns observer

Political columnist Lim Hong Siang doubts the Chinese voters will back PAS in the next general election after the pro-ulama faction won big at the party's recent muktamar. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, June 12, 2015.

The recent PAS polls, which saw leaders from its progressive faction almost wiped out by the ulama class, will see the Chinese community abandoning the Islamist party that they had backed in the last general election, said political columnist Lim Hong Siang.

With fears over the party adopting a more conservative approach, Lim believed the Chinese will not throw their support behind PAS again in the next general election as the recent polls clearly disappointed their sentiments and destroyed their spirits.

"The Chinese, who for a long time have a phobia against PAS, phobia against Islam, finally decided to do their best to support PAS in the 13th general election," he said while narrating the contents of the book "Tsunami Cina" at the “Post-Muktamar, Where is PAS Headed” forum at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese assembly hall last night.

He was one of the panelists, who described how the mostly non-Muslim Chinese community had for the first time, put up PAS flags in front of their houses as a sign of support for the Islamist party.

"For the first time, they flew in from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, Australia, the United States to come back to vote for the rocket, or PKR or PAS," he said in referring to the DAP's party symbol.

All three parties are part of the loose opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

"And today I can promise you, this phenomena, this sentiment will not happen at the 14th general election. This is a promise."

He said the PAS muktamar, or annual congress, on June 4 is considered a divider because the party's progressive faction is seen as bringing PAS to the middle ground while the conservatives are seen as trying to retain their traditional struggles.

"They are returning to their principles of not wanting to move and doing whatever they can to retain their posts.

"The PAS delegates have repeated history instead of creating history. What we have done for the last 10 years is gone just like that. In the last decade, the Chinese were still afraid of PAS which it considered as extremist. We tried so long to clear such labels."

Lim said ousted progressives leaders like Mohamad Sabu, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Mohamed Hanipa Maidin are individuals that needed to be given due respect because they have brought a different approach within PAS.

"Mat Sabu went to the ground to demonstrate, Dr Dzul is a constant face at forums, Mujahid is the person who dialogued with the churches, Hanipa passionately throw himself into debates in Parliament.

“All of them showed that PAS can bring good to the people.

"And tonight, we see these faces but they lost to the knees and elbows of those wearing robes," he said in referring to the infamous speech use by PAS Dewan Ulama representative Nasrudin Hassan, who had threatened DAP by stating that beneath their robes, the ulama had "knees and elbows" that could be used against them.

- TMI