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Saturday, January 21, 2017

Is there a hidden agenda behind PAS’ Act 355 rally?



If anything, there is a tell-tale sign that PAS rally on Act 355 may be part of Umno’s strategy for the 14th general election, expected to be called within this year or latest by May 2018.
Instead of the usual treatment to Bersih movement, the Islamist party’s plan to rally PAS supporters appears to be somewhat well-received by the inspector-general of police, Khalid Abu Bakar himself.
In other words, the police will facilitate the rally that is being organised by PAS. PAS, on the other hand, agrees to have it in a stadium if the Kuala Lumpur city mayor does not permit the Dataran Merdeka to be used for the rally.
My guess is that the rally will end up being held in a stadium, perhaps, Titiwangsa Stadium or even Bukit Jalil Stadium, if there are indications that the turnout would be greater than expected. It could also be held in Dataran Merdeka, if there are advantages to the benefits of both Umno and PAS.
The rally may appear to be hyping up support for Act 355, but beyond the comprehension of PAS grassroots, there could be some political agenda behind it all. I am speculating, but we shall keep a close watch to see what happens.
Not surprising Najib may turn up
I would not be surprised that, although for PAS grassroots, this may appear to be a PAS event, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak may turn up as an invited keynote speaker. After all, by harping on the Rohinya issue, he has been trying to woo PAS grassroots to support BN in the coming election.
Like his speeches on the alleged persecution of the Rohingyas, albeit all the fake news that had been propagated by certain parties, Najib (photo) may turn his head around this time to Pas and try to win the hearts of the grassroots.
What other option does he still have, if he cannot convince PAS grassroots that he is with them?
Najib realises that Umno is already split from within, and there could well be a major swing of Umno votes to Pakatan Harapan – Bersatu coalition. He has to counter this by wooing PAS grassroots.
The leaders may be on the same page with Najib, but unless PAS grassroots agree to vote for BN, the working partnership between the two parties may not benefit the BN.
Put it simply, in order to defend Umno seats, Najib is forced to attract PAS grassroots to vote for the BN and Umno candidates in Peninsular Malaysia. With the leaders solidly behind Umno, it is likely that the grassroots may not toe the line; therefore some pep talk is necessary.
Umno being the bigger brother may have the cake and still eat it, while PAS being a smaller party, may end up becoming disillusioned and eventually abandon the partnership with BN. This was what happened during Asri Muda’s era as PAS president.
Within five years, Asri realised what he had done to weaken PAS’ grip on Kelantan and that they were not as astute or cunning as their Umno counterparts.
BN wanted to replace Asri as Kelantan menteri besar with a candidate favoured by Umno.
By then, it was already too late, and when a political crisis rocked the state of Kelantan, the then prime minister Hussein Onn declared an emergency in the state and took control of Kelantan. Asri was forced to withdraw PAS from the coalition in 1977.
This was a lesson that former PAS spiritual leader, Nik Aziz Nik Mat (and Hindraf’s leader P Waythamoorthy) had learnt by hard that in politics, the bigger political parties will want to take control. Any promises of power sharing is only temporary.
A good example is the way how MCA, MIC and Gerakan are being treated in the light of an Umno-PAS working relationship over Act 355. Presidents of all three parties are muted because the dominant party, Umno, is in the forefront although they would prefer to be seen rejecting or voting against Act 355.
Not learning from the past
PAS appears to be having its own history repeated and not learning from the past. Its offshoot Amanah is now the equivalent of the “renegade PAS candidates (who were) running on anti-BN tickets” during Asri’s time.
Politics aside, friendship runs deep. I am sure that there are many within PAS today who are still affectionate towards their old comrades in the likes of Mohamad Sabu (fondly known as Mat Sabu), Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Khalid Samad. No one can be sure if they choose to vote for Pakatan Harapan-Bersatu instead.
What future does Malaysia have when the chance of a change at Putrajaya is still very high but it is being destroyed by certain PAS leaders themselves?

Amidst the 1MDB scandal, an alternative coalition could easily form the new federal government; instead, we may continue to be known to the international community as a nation of kleptokrats, a word used in the civil lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice in which the 'Malaysian Official No 1' is now identified by minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan as Najib himself.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008. -Mkini


Read more: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/370014#ixzz4WM8opYXe

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