One party, but with two names

Former attorney-general of the United States of America, Ramsay Clarke, once remarked in a public forum that there is only one political party in the US but with two names - the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.

He said that there was hardly any difference between these parties in terms of ideology or on policy matters.

In a similar vein, can we say that in Malaysia there is only one dominant Malay party but with two names – Umno and PAS?

I am in agreement with the views of the Turkish scholar/author, Mustapa Aykol, who says that those who claim they are ethnic and religious champions contribute towards breeding hypocrisy.

In Malaysia, political parties like Umno and PAS are on a “roadshow” to impose the most conservative kind of Islam on the people.

Over the decades, Malayness and Islam have been effectively combined by both the parties to produce the most undesirable effects from the viewpoint of national unity and tolerance.

Thus, Islam in the hands of these political parties can be dangerous and can have a devastating effect on both Muslims and non-Muslims.

While these two parties are using Islam to stay in power or in dominance, it is the religion, that is, Islam, that gets the bad name in the process.

Umno claims itself as the champion of Malays whereas PAS claims itself as the champion of Islam.

What is the difference? In reality, there is no difference. Umno is using Islam to reinforce its ethnic dominance whereas PAS uses Malay ethnicity to reinforce its religious dominance.

Political differences

Both the parties had had political differences over the years, but recently, having realised that they are of the same kind and firmly believing in the racial and religious dominance of Malays, their outward differences have vanished into thin air.

Umno’s narrow ethnic nationalism (Malay nationalism) is very often fuelled by narrow interpretations of Islam. Since Umno’s nationalism is organised in opposition to the ethnic nationalism of non-Malays and who are invariably non-Muslims, Islam becomes an instrument to reinforce Malay nationalism.

Similarly, PAS is no different from Umno. Although it had some pretensions to move away from the narrow ethnic nationalism of Umno, it has come to realise that nationalism could be effectively used to reinforce its Islamic image.

Following the political rupture with the DAP, PAS under the leadership of Abdul Hadi Awang has embraced Malay ethnicity as one of the defining features of its conservative Islam.

Given the philosophical change of mind of PAS, it is no wonder that the party has come to embrace Umno as its useful partner.

What is more, it thinks that by aligning with Umno, it could learn how narrow sectarian ethnic nationalism could be effectively employed to beef up its version of conservative Islam.

At the end of the day, what is the difference between Umno and PAS? There is nothing; it is only in terms of how the image of the respective political parties project themselves to obtain Malay support against the “other”.

Whether non-Muslims or non-Malays, both refer to one group in the larger population.

Unilateral conversion

Religion in the hands of irresponsible political parties and organisations can be dangerous with broad negative implications. Umno and PAS’ conservative brand of Islam seems aimed more at ensuring their political, social and cultural domination than ensuring social justice, fairness and the promotion of democracy in Malaysia.

In the race for ethnic dominance, Umno, being the hegemonic partner in the BN coalition, seems to have introduced or condoned practices that are deemed to be discriminatory towards non-Malays or non-Muslims.

On the matter of unilateral conversion, it appears that the civil courts have abdicated their role to the syariah court.

In the recent case of M Indira Gandhi, the Court of Appeal, instead of striking down what seemed an unfair and unjust administrative decision of the Perak Islamic department, referred the matter to the syariah court.

In fact, Umno’s conservative and state-based religious approach has been complemented by PAS’ move to embrace hudud, another conservative and reactionary kind of Islamic practice that is not even introduced in countries where the populations are 100 percent Muslim.

This is the reason why the predominantly non-Muslim-based DAP broke ranks with PAS and which led to the collapse of the people’s coalition called Pakatan Rakyat and the formation of Pakatan Harapan.

Umno and PAS might have their historical differences and might even have had a different ideological starting point. But the slow but sure rendering of Islam as a dominant political force has brought them to a historical juncture where a political embrace of the worst kind might be in the offing.

Malaysians who expect harmony and religious tolerance might be in a shock to realise that if such a political embrace takes place, it does not augur well for the political, social and economic well-being of Malaysia.

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P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai. -Mkini