The recent PAS muktamar saw the Pahang PAS deputy commissioner remarking: “If voters in Pahang – home to Genting’s casino – want gambling to end, they should choose the Islamic party”.
As expected, international media such as Bloomberg immediately seized on the opportunity to hype up such a juicy statement.
Historically, it is not the first time PAS has made such a startling promise. In the past, there were other leaders from the party who declared they were prepared to shut down Malaysia’s only casino if it won the state government.
Being an Islamic party, it is hardly surprising that it is tapping into the concerns of the country’s Muslim majority over gambling, which is forbidden in the Quran.
Another PAS leader, Andansura Rabu, was quoted to have said: “Anything that can harm society, we must together support its destruction.
“This isn’t a matter of religion, it’s a social issue.”
To be fair, we can’t say that he’s wrong. Unfortunately, he pays no heed to the rudimentary lesson in politics, or what we call Politics 101.
While a statement might be religiously right and might seem harmless, is it politically right too?
Wisdom is extremely essential in the political scene, what more in Malaysian politics where political parties need to cater to different segments of voters.
With due respect, PAS’ glaring mistake is that it offers one-size-fits-all formulas to address any social or political issue. It reflects a simplistic frame of mind.
It is no wonder the party invariably faces Herculean challenges in convincing intelligent voters, particularly among the non-Muslims, to support it, let alone vote for the party.
Fadzil’s wisdom
Perhaps PAS has to learn from the wisdom exemplified by its late president Fadzil Noor. I still vividly remember the way he replied to a particularly tricky question from the Austrian media on the very same issue.
It so happened that when the interview was conducted, he asked me to be his translator.
This question was posted to him: “Would PAS be ready to shut down a casino in Genting assuming the voters vote for the party to become the federal government in Putrajaya?”
I could feel my heart palpitating, anxiously waiting for his answer. The way the question was posed to Fadzil was akin to a lawyer’s question, which could only be answered with a “yes” or “no.”
I was fully aware because I used to resort to such a tactic. But I must say his reply was awesome - it was filled with wisdom.
“I sincerely believe there are many other pressing issues which badly need our utmost attention such as economic and other socio-political issues, assuming people agree to vote for PAS,” Fadzil said.
Those familiar with contemporary Islamic jurisprudence would appreciate that his reply was premised on what is known in modern Islamic jurisprudence as “a jurisprudence which looks at the consequences of matters and its effect” or “fiqh-maalat”.
I could feel the journalist’s utter frustration with such a splendid answer! - Mkini
MOHAMED HANIPA MAIDIN is a former legal adviser for PAS and a former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Legal Affairs).
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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