“So, I urge young Malays to plan their lives properly. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Malaysia is a sick Muslim country which teaches you the wrong things.”
- Zaid Ibrahim, eight years ago
For the record, I consider former Umno minister Zaid Ibrahim a friend. Unlike many, I wasn’t really surprised when he joined PAS because this is exactly the kind of thing that he would do.
Last year, Zaid claimed that clerical leadership could take Malaysia to greater heights, which is queer because if anything, the clerical leadership of PAS-led states made the states regress, with their young people coming to more prosperous urban enclaves to make a living.
Zaid is free to choose his political affiliations, and for me, the only thing interesting about this whole affair is how long it will take to end and exactly how much trouble he will cause to his relationship with PAS.
Indeed, Zaid has always played the gadfly to any party he has represented, taking up positions that adhere to the party’s principles or not in Umno’s case, but which were at odds with the realpolitik of the situation in DAP’s case. All this is a matter of public record.
From critic to supporter, but…
The quote that opens this piece is exactly what gets Zaid into trouble. In urging young Malays to leave this country for England, no less, he said: “The people who talk about Islam in Malaysia are low-grade scholars, and many are mouthpieces of the ruling party.”
“They are sycophants, not of the same calibre as the Mu’tazillah, the jurists, and theologians of the Abbasiyah period who debated religious issues, such as the concept of ‘tawhid’ or unity of God.
“They discussed the inherent difficulties of reconciling reason and revelation. They were not preoccupied with beer festivals or dress codes for women, or separate laundrettes for Muslims, although the revelry and festivities of the caliphates were well known.”
Furthermore, when Zaid now says: “On the contrary, PAS is the only Malay-majority party with the strength and resolve to do away with inequality, hegemony, and class preferences. The essence of Islam will be the governing principle.”
“You will not have under the PAS rule where we are described as equal, but some are more equal than others.”
However, the grand poobah of his party, Abdul Hadi Awang, obviously does not agree with him.
Remember, Hadi thinks non-Muslims are not equal to Muslims. He has said it, and it is a matter of public record.
“Islam has to be the leader and ruler; those who are not of Islam must be followers (pak turut).
“Let’s not place religion and politics in separate corners.”
Hadi also thinks that non-Muslims are the source of corruption and economic and political malfeasances, which affect the majority community.
Of course, this is why Hadi really likes the idea of an all-Malay cabinet, which PAS had to clean up.
“Here, Hadi’s message clearly states that Islam is very open to non-Muslims for wizarah al-tanfidz ministries… unlike other political systems, which only accept those with the same ideology.
“Instead, he was stressing the importance and need for Malay-Muslims to be the core of Malaysia's political system and administration,” said PAS leader Nasrudin Hassan when defending Hadi’s proposal.
He knows what the issues are
In an interview some time back, Zaid clearly articulated the problem with theocratic rule.
“It’s not Islam that has intruded into the public sphere. It is the proponents of tyranny and fascist leaders who have used religion to control the apparatus of the state. Democracy and the rule of law are endangered when you allow such leaders to continue to rule.”
Think about this for a moment. Muslim potentates would decide policies, of which there is enough empirical evidence to suggest that these policies are detrimental to non-Muslims.
But at the same time, non-Muslims are told that they are “lucky” enough because this is “unlike other political systems, which only accept those with the same ideology”.
Zaid, of course, is intelligent enough to know that this isn’t solely about how a theocratic state treats non-Muslims with regard to “moderate” Islam.
“Whether Pakatan Harapan is a moderate voice, we have to wait and see. The test is not whether they allow non-Muslims sufficient freedom; that’s easy, but whether they will be ‘moderate’ to Muslims.”
This is exactly why I consider extremism an existential threat to this country, because once the majority is co-opted into this religious enterprise, it is game over.
What separates Hadi from the rest of these Malay uber alles parties is that the PAS base believes that they have a shot at truly influencing the direction of this country, and Madani has been extremely helpful in this.
Folks who vote for PAS do not view what Hadi says as malicious or bigoted, but rather ideas which they believe are embedded in the Federal Constitution.
So what will Zaid do?
The question is, how does someone like Zaid spin such undemocratic ideas?
And really, it is not only in this country where Hadi is viewed with scepticism or downright hostility by rational people.
Remember that Hadi was the vice-president of an Islamic organisation, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which has been disavowed by the House of Saud and was described by a prominent West Asian journalist as follows.
“IUMS members justified violence and started an intellectual war with muftis and traditional Islamic scholars, undermining them in their home countries and ridiculing their religious edicts.”
Hadi, of course, went into conniptions and dissed the whole of West Asia.
“The Arab civilisation was respected because of Islam, but is now crumbling under the weight of their own crimes by recognising the Zionist regime and neglecting Palestine and its rights.
“They are now driven by their belief and admiration for the Zionist Jewish powers-that-be, more than to trust in God, Islam, and their fellow Muslims.”
I have concentrated on Hadi in this piece because he really does not care about how minority communities perceive him.
Meanwhile, what he says and the very effective propaganda machine of PAS run by true believer technocrats and useful idiot influencers is shaping the religious and political narratives of this country.
Now, Zaid is part of this. His job, if PAS gives him the opportunity, is to convince rational Malaysians that PAS can lead this country, which is going to be difficult considering PAS has made it clear that rational people are the enemy of religious hegemony.
It remains to be seen whether Zaid can effectively carry water for PAS or if he will eventually throw it in their faces. - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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