“HYPOCRISY” according to the Merrian Webster online dictionary is an act of pretending to have beliefs, virtues or feelings that one does not actually hold or engaging in behaviours one criticizes in others.
In the political arena, this is displayed when a politician condemns a behaviour while engaging in it themselves.
An example of this very close to home is the statement by Selangor PAS Youth chief Muhd Sukri Omar who vehemently objected to the water music festival scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur’s tourist haven – Bukit Bintang – from April 30 to May 2.
“(The event) must be stopped immediately because it clearly violates the values of etiquette, local cultural sensitivity and social harmony, especially in the context of Malaysia as a multi-racial country with Islam as the federal religion,” he asserted in on Pemuda PAS Malaysia’s Facebook page.
The theme and concept of tourism should be based on oriental values that are full of manners and are in accordance with local culture rather than adopting foreign cultures that are perverse.
In fact, festivals like this only promote a culture of hedonism among Malaysians, especially young people.
This doomsayer went to rail against the event citing cost-of-living issues alongside the usual alarmist cries of indecently dressed foreign artistes being allowed to perform.
However, the 40-year-old Sukri who is also the Shah Alam division head of the Islamist party seems to have conveniently ignored that the Kedah state government had designated RM70,000 for this year’s state-level Songkran celebrations (held on April 18-19).
Lest it be forgotten, Kedah is under PAS rule and the event was in districts with significant Siamese populations, including Padang Terap, Sik, Kupang, Baling and Pendang.
State human resources, Chinese, Indian, Siamese communities and NGOs committee chairman Wong Chia Zhen declared the event – now in its third year – as a reflection of harmony among the state’s multi-ethnic communities.
This glaring inconsistency was highlighted by a number of bemused pro-Madani commenters. Some even gleefully asked if the Songkran festival was on the Siamese side of the border?
It was also postulated that the Songkran fest in Kedah was fine because it was organised by the Islamist party. If the Bukit Bintang was similarly organised by PAS, it, too, would be deemed “halal” then?
Alas, since Bukit Bintang is under the purview of archnemesis party, DAP, it does make sense that PAS must voice its disapproval.
One commenter wondered if the Songkran festival in Kedah did indeed reflect “oriental values” as espoused by the Selangor PAS Youth chief who also doubles as preacher keen on spreading “eastern values” in society.
This brought about an impassioned defence from the more conservative demographic that supported the religious teacher’s call to halt the event in the capital city.
Many argued that the Kedah event was limited to premises of Siamese Buddhist temples (known as Wat), hence “closed for Muslims”. It was also noted that the Songkran festival was geared more towards highlighting cultural heritage.
It was even asked what the Federal Territories Mufti’s response was to the water musical fest being held in KL, thus insinuating ineffectiveness of the said office bearer.
One commenter simply declared that such events must follow Islamic guidelines and should not be held in open spaces.
It was also urged that Malay-Muslims resist the normalisation of this liberal culture where even Muslims forget their modesty.
How one wants to interpret the level of ‘wetness’ or ‘decency’ of each water fest, fact remains that voicing its disapproval of the KL event in light of the Songkran fest in Kedah makes the Islamist party seem inconsistent and yes, hypocritical.
One commenter had a simple piece of advice for those who didn’t fancy getting drenched – just don’t attend the event instead of “spoiling the fun for others”.
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