“Something like that, especially when it happens to the opposition, will be advantageous to us. We are confident that it will not weaken us but strengthen us instead.”
- Opposition chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan
The schadenfreude experienced by some for the corruption charges against former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin will, no doubt, be part of the propaganda used by the fascist opposition to strengthen their narrative that there is “great evil” in this land and it does not sleep.
Leading up to the spectacle of Muhyiddin being detained by the MACC and then charged in court, the propaganda channels of the opposition were already painting a narrative that the current prime minister was on a vengeance tour to destabilise the opposition.
You have to remember that this is not merely an opposition but rather a “Malay” opposition.
An opposition that has demonstrated that its leader, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, is already getting down to the business of slaying Malay sacred cows.
Of course, Muhyiddin would scramble over to PAS for assistance because he, like them, understands that what will save him is not a political narrative but a religious one.
Please keep in mind that the religious bureaucracy of this country is aligned with Perikatan Nasional (PN). Now, this is not some sort of formal agreement, although various tributaries of the bureaucracy connect with PN in various capacities.
No, what this merely means is that the apparatus of a government that would benefit most from a theocratic state is the religious bureaucracy.
Funny, isn't it? All over the world, democracies are grappling with fascist elements and here in Malaysia, we have a ministry which is tailor-made to carry out the dictates of a religious hegemon.
PAS wants an “Abah” wave because it is more palatable than a “green wave” - especially for fence sitters in urban areas or semi-urban areas.
Keep in mind that because of unequal weightage when it comes to votes, PN benefits from small incremental changes in voting patterns in the Malay heartland which, in turn, gives them enormous political power that is not reflective of demographic realities.
Strategists made the mistake of dismissing the “Abah wave” before the last general election. Bersatu, while small, did better than anyone expected.
There is a reason why Bersatu says it is for everyone. Remember they were the linchpin of the first Pakatan Harapan government.
Together with the victim narrative, PN propagandists are referencing the political facts that not only was Muhyiddin brought down by Harapan but that he offered to work with the then-multiracial opposition on concrete reforms but was rejected and brought down by the very corrupt personalities and so-called reformists who are persecuting him now.
This is wonderful propaganda for PAS, which is not only counting on the victim vote but using Bersatu as a gateway for the youth vote.
When Harapan and its allies were going on about how the youth vote would change the dynamics, I warned them that this was muddled thinking.
Indeed, the fact that PAS was so enthusiastic about the vote should have told the strategists in Harapan that all was not kosher in the yet-formed Madaniville.
What we are talking about here is a fascist movement. PN is a fascist movement. What are the characteristics of these movements?
For brevity, I will use political analyst Peter Bergen’s checklist based on the seminal work of American historian Robert Paxton, who charted fascist movements of 20th-century Europe and the commonalities between them.
‘Overwhelming crisis beyond traditional solutions’
According to PAS, the existential crisis facing Malaysia is that the souls of Muslims are at stake.
According to the narrative of PAS and Hadi, Western concepts like democracy and liberalism are corrupting the souls of the Muslim community.
Concepts such as good governance to equality of opportunity cannot save them but the dogma of a religion, in which he and PAS are the “gatekeepers”, is a ticket to paradise. All they have to do is submit.
‘Superiority of leader’s instincts over universal reason’
During the pandemic, when everyone was scrambling to get by and this was a time when PAS was part of the government, what did Hadi say when white flags were cropping up as a sign of desperation and Malaysians were putting themselves out there to help each other?
He said that any economic measures must be in line with Islamic values.
While PAS and PN will avail themselves of the technology and ideas that the secular world has to offer, they will use it in their agenda to disrupt the benefits that the secular world offers to the very people who are depending on them to lead.
‘Playing the victim card’
From former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s racist rants about the Chinese community to Hadi’s rants about how the DAP are victimising Malays when in power, the narratives of PAS and PN are about how the Malays are losing political power and the majority suffer while non-Malays/Muslims are their “overlords”.
This is why Hadi’s “pak turut” (submit to authority) narrative is not sanctioned by the state because everyone knows that Hadi says the quiet, accepted part out loud.
Sadly, Malay victimhood has been the mainstream political narrative for decades. PAS is merely using the narrative to merge it with its theocratic solution.
Hadi has two former prime ministers in his corner who are now "useful idiots" (a Russian cold war term) for the theocratic state in waiting.
‘Peddling false narrative’
Again this is a tragic point. Tragic because most Malaysians have been hard-wired to accept that only a strong man type can lead this country.
Mahathir nurtured this idea for decades and when he left, it was revived again when Harapan embraced him. The reality is that politics in Malaysia changed with the ejection of Anwar Ibrahim from the Umno paradise.
Sure the opposition faltered and say what you will about Anwar, but he and his allies broke the two-thirds majority, won states and redefined the political paradigm.
Anwar made it possible for voters to see the contrast between states run by kleptocrats and theocrats and those run by flawed democrats.
Hadi wants to revive this myth. His myth-making is rejecting the diktat of the Sultan of Terengganu.
His myth-making is giving the finger to the politically correct ideas of multiculturalism. His myth-making is trafficking in rhetoric that would get the average political operative detained by the state.
Hadi wants to emerge as a theocratic strongman, who would establish an Islamic state in form and function as a new ideal in Southeast Asia, replete with syariah law and a foreign policy that would put Malaysia at odds with regional power brokers.
The missing component is the use of violence. From the Kampung Manjoi incident to the cosplayers in the recent PAS event, the reality is that certain proxies within the opposition are primed for violence or at least - threatening the use of violence.
How long will they be content to wait in the shadows remains to be seen.
So, do not be too upbeat about the fall of Muhyddin. He is more useful now to PAS than he was before. Bersatu scrambling for funds and PAS claiming that they will help them out is demonstrative of how powerful PAS and its money are within PN.
This unity government should continue following the money trail, despite what naysayers say. - 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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