In rare sight, PAS Youth muktamar opens with multiracial drum show

 This was a departure from previous muktamar openings and appears to be another attempt to boost PAS's image among non-Muslim communities.

The performance combined traditional drums from Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai cultures.

KOTA BHARU:

PAS Youth’s annual muktamar opened with a multiracial drum performance today, a rare sight at the Islamic party’s annual assembly.

The youth wing roped in troupes from across Kelantan as the performance combined traditional drums from Malay, Chinese, Indian and Thai cultures.

This was very different from previous muktamar openings, particularly given PAS’s identity as a Malay-Muslim party, and appeared to be another attempt at boosting PAS’s image among non-Muslim communities.

PAS central committee member Ahmad Marzuk Shaary said cultural differences are not barriers to cooperation and close ties but should be seen as strengths, especially when different communities find common ground.

“The Chinese drum and Malay ubi rebana make different sounds and are played differently, but when they’re played in the same rhythm, they produce a harmonious sound.

“The same goes for politics. We don’t have to look the same to work together. We may have different beats, but we have the same purpose,” he said in a Facebook post.

The PAS Youth muktamar was officiated by the party’s deputy president, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, and youth leaders of Perikatan Nasional components and Umno. - FMT