WAKE UP PAS! Your Hudud has been HIJACKED by the 'greatest robber' - Umno!

PAS wants to implement Hudud laws in Kelantan. They are at a loss, as to why there is so much opposition towards it. After all, it is only for Kelantan State, where 95 percent of the population are Muslims, and PAS has made it very clear that Non Muslims would not be subjected to it.

PAS is the state government in Kelantan, while UMNO is the Opposition. Unlike UMNO, There are those who believe that PAS is quite contented to just being a regional party and it does not harbour any big ambitions.

They would rather stick to regional politics than to dive headlong into national politics. Given that the East Coast States are their strongholds, being able to govern and consolidate power in these two Malay provinces would already be quite an achievement.

Being Muslims, the Malays in general understand their aspirations and ambitions to implement Hudud, even though there are many who does not support the idea.

However, for the Non Muslims it comes as a big shock, with many dead-set against it, out of fear that the imposition of Hudud will indirectly affect their future.

The paralysing fear of creeping Islamic fundamentalism that will restrict their personal freedoms, their religious beliefs and their way of life, will always make them treat Hudud with contempt.

PAS aspirations

As a Muslim political party, their aspirations to implement these Divine Laws, has taken a heavy toll on their political struggle, and cost them a fair number of seats in the past. Lambasted by a relentless BN campaign through the sheer might of its mainstream media, the party’s image has taken a brutal beating.

The MSM has always portrayed PAS as nothing more than a fanatical religious party, run by Mad Mullahs who cannot wait to chop of hands or stone you to death. They have been slandered as Muslim Extremists who cannot think straight, dressed in green robes and serbans out to impose their fiery brand of Islam on Non Muslims.

In the Memali incident, PAS members were depicted as blood thirsty terrorists, frothing at the mouth, carry ‘parangs’ and running amok. Malaysians are asked to avoid them at all cost and to never give them the opportunity to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State.

Surprisingly, when I see the ugliness perpetrated by the mushrooming of these radical NGO’s, it reminds me of all the accusations that were unfairly levelled against PAS. Everything that is happening today in this country seems like a manifest of what UMNO has accused PAS of.

Therefore, it is not uncommon for many Malaysians to continue harbouring distrust for PAS.

Old fears die hard

Malays who got wind of UMNO’s hegemony slowly abandoned the party to vote for the Opposition. The Non Malays were slow to realise that they themselves have been compromised and still spooked by MSM propaganda, continued to vote for BN.

Such was the fear that permeated for the last 40years that PAS never stood a chance. The truth however is that; PAS is a bonafide Muslim Malay party, who strives to uphold the true tenets of Islam.

The true Malays

They are anything but fanatical. They are our average next door Malay neighbours who can engage us in an intellectual argument, and who upholds the Federal Constitution. They can be counted on to land a helping hand in time of trouble.

They are genuinely God fearing and find Corruption repulsive. They abhor hypocrites and false Muslims who make a mockery of their religion.

Leaders like Tok Guru Nik Aziz, Husam Musa, Mat Sabu, Dzulkifli Ahmed, and many others represent the true faces of moderate PAS. Radicals like Hassan Ali, Nasharuddin Mat Isa and Ibrahim Ali are not, and these bigots have since been purged from the party.

Not only are they a danger to the party, they are also an immediate danger to themselves. In short they are mischief makers who spoil the Malay image.

Non Malays should learn to differentiate between the true Malays from the pseudo-Malays who pretend to be ‘holy’ when their holiness is full of holes.

A BN conspiracy

According to Husam Musa, the recent attempt by PAS to table the Hudud enactments in Parliament was egged on by a devious UMNO, who pretentiously agreed to support the bill. When PAS agreed to play along, UMNO found them-selves cornered, unable to explain to the public nor their coalition partners the sudden change of stand.

With the prank badly backfiring on them, they decided to defer their strategy, citing that these new enactments need further study. The Prime Minister had to come out to announce timidly that UMNO were never against Hudud Laws, but stop short of saying that they support it.

Meanwhile a straight-faced PAS calmly withdrew the enactments, chuckling quietly in the process.

UMNO playing Poker again

Now, that the issue has died down, UMNO is up to their tricks again, with an UMNO assemblyman feebly trying to table a motion to study the feasibility of implementing hudud in the Selangor State Assembly. Testing the waters, they hope to entrap PAS lawmakers into supporting the bill and making an example out of them to the public.

With the MSM on overtime churning out the news, they are hoping for a national outcry, where enraged Malaysians will put the blame on PAS. It will be a chain reaction where Malaysians will denounce PAS and demand its resignation from the PR coalition or for PR to sack them.

Meanwhile, the sandiwara is playing out in grand fashion with Selangor Gerakan taking the lead role to warn Umno assemblymen against going through with the Hudud motion, as it is against the spirit of Barisan Nasional (BN).

PAS-a vital member of the PR Coalition

PAS is the only party capable of standing in the way of UMNO’s hegemonic ambitions. If PAS’s ever left the PR Coalition, it would be a wet dream come true for UMNO.

When the ‘celaka’ word was hurled at UMNO, they turned dark blue with rage, calling for MP Rayer to be investigated and charged with sedition. But when Muslim party PAS called UMNO infidels, there was no retaliation from UMNO. Instead they retreated into their shells and pretended to ignore the remark.

Many attempts were initiated by UMNO to woo PAS without success. There were secret meetings and negotiations with their foot lieutenants, but when PAS’s top leaders got wind of the meetings, they firmly put their foot down.

They simply wont hear of it, and many younger leaders were chided for even entertaining the idea to reunite with UMNO.

Factions in PAS

But then there are some greedy PAS leaders with obscured views who are impatient to climb the political ladder. They have tried to sell out the party hoping to cash in on their success. These leaders have since been asked to take a walk. It shows that PAS is a no-nonsense party who will not compromise on its values.

PAS is made up of the Erdogan and Ulamak factions. Contrary to what people may think, there is no friction between them. They co-exist peacefully, with a rare understanding making PAS a very strong and united Party bound together by a common Faith.

The Ulamak Council is made up of one the best Muslim minds in the country. Their aging leaders are wise and learned, and PAS members look up to them with reverent respect. They are certainly not a threat to the country.

The MSM however, has made mince-meat of the Ulamaks, by twisting their statements and made them out to be Mad Mullahs and a constant public danger.

A Welfare State

Recognizing that the Hudud issue would split the Pakatan Rakyat and confuse voters, PAS have shelved the divine enactments to a later date, and replaced it with a Welfare State.

Immediately, a visibly alarmed UMNO launched a barrage of criticism at PAS for not sticking to their Hudud stand. Now, why would UMNO want to criticize and reject PAS’s Welfare State instead of welcoming it with open arms? Even MCA, Gerakan and MIC are at a loss to explain UMNO’s strange about turn.

But then, without Hudud as their weapon, MCA and Gerakan would run out of issues to downsize PAS or to entice sceptical Chinese to return to their fold.

Give PAS some credibility

It would be a folly for Malaysians to doubt PAS’s credibility. Should PAS ever leave the PR Coalition out of peer pressure brought on by those who tried to shame and call them fanatics, many of their leaders would continue to stay on to hold the fort independently. We can be sure that none of them will join UMNO, even if a gun is pointed to their heads.

PAS leaders only have to give UMNO one phone call, and UMNO will be rushing to embrace PAS like long lost cousins, sobbing their hearts out. But PAS is not going to compromise their sacred beliefs or sacrifice their untainted reputation to sleep with the devil.

Remember, PAS is very comfortable on their own turf, and they do not need the Pakatan Rakyat to further their political fortunes. Not especially, if membership in the coalition is causing them to lose more credibility and seats.

PAS joined the coalition for one purpose, and that is to assist PR to purge the current hegemonistic government.

While DAP and PKR have seen many of their leaders bought over by BN. PAS leaders have managed to reject the temptation to turn into frogs, forsaking instant wealth and fortune.

Only one infamous frog managed to tarnish the good name of PAS. And despite the treachery, this frog still had the gall to try his luck again at Pasir Mas where he got the trouncing of his life. Today he is still hopping around like a mad toad, albeit with a slight limp.

But the most ironic of it all; PAS’s Hudud have finally been hijacked by UMNO. It will be amusing to see how BN handles this ‘fiery hot enactments’ and will they burn their hands in the process?

Will they in turn try to scare the public with their pretence to introduce these controversial enactments in Parliament? Given BN’s desperation, what else would they not try? - MAILBAG