Under PAS rule, Kelantan needs to focus on bigger issues

 

From Moaz Nair

Despite facing socio-economic woes, Kelantan is a relatively tolerant and peaceful state to live in. It is a predominantly Malay-Muslim state. About 95% of its population are ethnic Malays, and under the Malaysian Constitution, all Malays are Muslims. Therefore, Islam is the most influential religion in the state.

The minority ethnic Thai inhabitants of Kelantan are mostly Buddhists. There are over two hundred Buddhist temples in Kelantan, mainly concentrated in Tumpat. Buddhism is evidently a visible religion. Hundreds of Thai wats can be found and despite their large number, no Muslims in the state have thus far desecrated any of these temples or harassed the Buddhist worshippers.

Much of Chinese culture is preserved and practised, such as lion and dragon dances, temple celebrations, eating bak chang, mooncake, pulut kuning and telur merah, and praying to Datuk Gong.

Famous Chinese villages have not been erased from the state map and this includes Kampung Tok’kong (with a 300- year-old temple), Batu Jong and Kampung Jelatok.

Seng Choon Keong temple, 25km from Kota Bharu, is approximately 300 years old. The temple’s lion dance association tours the state every Chinese New Year to conduct rituals aimed at driving away evil spirits and bad luck. No Muslims have stopped, harassed or destroyed any of these Chinese celebrations and historical relics.

The Hindu temple in Tumpat (Sri Maha Muthu Mariamman Temple) still remains despite there being only one or two Hindu families left in Tumpat. The Hindus, too, perform their rites without being harassed.

The Presbyterian and Roman Catholic Churches, built during the British era, are among the few churches found in Kota Bharu.

The Temiar Orang Asli, who have lived in the forests of Kelantan for thousands of years maintain their traditional beliefs in their natural surroundings and other forms of animist elements.

Kelantan in effect shows an example of a Malaysian state in which different people can live in peace and harmony.

When the May 13 1969 incident saw bloodshed in Kuala Lumpur and some minor skirmishes in other parts of the country, there was not even a single ugly incident of the same in Kelantan.

Kelantan has seen no stomping of cow heads in protest of a temple being built. No churches were splashed with paint, desecrated or set on fire. No dead animals were thrown or placed into a mosque.

The people have lived harmoniously in the state for decades, some for many centuries, without harping on trivial religious issues. As such, they want to preserve the harmonious multiracial and multi-religious Kelantan.

Lagging economically

However, after more than three decades of being governed by PAS the state still lags behind other states economically. Kelantan is the second poorest state in Malaysia. Kelantan has also long failed to supply clean water to the people compared to other states.

The state also has a relatively high rate of rape cases as well as substance abuse and drug peddling, and relatively high cases of divorce that end up with many single parents, desertion of children and illiteracy among them.

The Kelantan PAS government has now enforced 24 new provisions of the Syariah Criminal Code for offences such as those that involve intercourse with corpses, witchcraft, false allegations, attempts to leave Islam, distorting Islamic teachings, and sexual intercourse with non-humans.

Will this move resolve the people’s socio-economic problems?

The incidents of unnatural sex are in all likelihood a rare thing. What more, the shariah court has no jurisdiction as criminal offences are already under federal law, including the crime of rape.

Setting priorities

PAS needs to know what to prioritise. To police the social lives of the people will not resolve the state’s social and economic issues. Sentencing those who go against their dress code will not make the people stay away from social aberrances.

People want clean tap water, employment and business prospects as well as decent infrastructure facilities. These are areas that the PAS government should focus on through proper economic planning as well as through progressive education that could create better social awareness in society.

An obsession with too many religious laws on the social milieu will not uplift living standards.

Studies have shown that when a society is stuck in poverty there is bound to be social problems such as thievery, divorce, child abuse, incest, drug abuse and many other social and sexual eccentricities. Economic contentment has been found to reduce such perverseness.

Respect for human dignity

The PAS-ruled state evidently lacks the forte to enhance social and economic justice, the safeguarding of every individual’s integrity and respect for human dignity, which are in essence more deserving of Islam.

The issue that is important in Islam is to secure the rights of the individuals and the society in general, and not merely execute punishments on stringent and narrow conditions.

The people in the state are facing a hard time now, economically. The state is facing financial woes. It would be wise for the Kelantan government to shift their focus to bigger socio-economic issues facing the state rather than be obsessed with laws on petty and weird social issues. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.