PAS President should focus on change first - not the question of number of Muslim Malay MPs in PR

In the latest edition of the Harakah (29/9/2008), the PAS President has allegedly stated that if the number of Muslim Malay representative is not the majority in Pakatan Rakyat, then PAS will pull out of the Pakatan Rakyat..

I tried to find this report online - but alas, I could not find it in the online version of the Harakah but did manage to find 2 sources, the 1st is as follows:-

Dipetik Harakah menerusi edisi terbaru bertarikh 29 September (hari ini), Abdul Hadi berkata, apabila jumlah wakil rakyat bukan Islam melebihi kerusi anggota Dewan Rakyat beragama Islam, maka PAS akan membuat keputusan - sedia menarik diri daripada kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat.

Kata beliau, PAS telah meletakkan syarat agar kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat itu dikuasai oleh wakil-wakil Islam Melayu.

Jika Islam tidak majoriti, bekas Ketua Pembangkang di Parlimen itu berkata, pembentukan kerajaan pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat tidak akan disertai oleh PAS.
"PAS akan tarik diri terang-terang jika tidak mendapat majoriti Islam. Itu syarat pertama," kata beliau - from Depa Kata Blog, Amaran PAS: Tolak kerajaan pusat Pakatan Rakyat jika majoriti bukan Islam [http://depa-kata.blogspot.com/2008/09/amaran-pas-tolak-kerajaan-pusat-pakatan.html]

The 2nd source is :-

Selepas tarikh 16 September berlalu tanpa kejutan, PAS pula mengulangi pendiriannya tidak akan menyertai kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat jika kerajaan baru persekutuan yang dicita-citakan, majoritinya dikuasai oleh wakil rakyat bukan Islam kelak.

Pendirian itu dinyatakan oleh Presidennya, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang pada Ceramah Isu-isu Semasa di Dungun, Terengganu minggu lalu.

Abdul Hadi yang juga Ahli Parlimen Marang lebih mengharapkan wakil rakyat Umno menyertai PAS jika mahu membina kekuatan orang Melayu dan Islam di negara ini.

Dipetik Harakah menerusi edisi terbaru bertarikh 29 September (hari ini), Abdul Hadi berkata, apabila jumlah wakil rakyat bukan Islam melebihi kerusi anggota Dewan Rakyat beragama Islam, maka PAS akan membuat keputusan - sedia menarik diri daripada kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat.

Kata beliau, PAS telah meletakkan syarat agar kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat itu dikuasai oleh wakil-wakil Islam Melayu.

Jika Islam tidak majoriti, bekas Ketua Pembangkang di Parlimen itu berkata, pembentukan kerajaan pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat tidak akan disertai oleh PAS.

"PAS akan tarik diri terang-terang jika tidak mendapat majoriti Islam. Itu syarat pertama," kata beliau.- mStar, 29/9/2008, Amaran PAS: Tolak kerajaan pusat Pakatan jika majoriti bukan Islam [http://www1.mstar.com.my/cerita.asp?file=/2008/9/29/mstar_mutakhir/20080929125641&sec=mstar_mutakhir]

While Hadi goes into question of numbers of MPs, Nasharuddin takes what seems to be a more reasonable view...

Timbalan Presiden PAS, Ustaz Nasharudin Mat Isa bagaimanapun berkata, sokongan PAS itu dengan syarat Islam menjadi dominan dalam struktur pembentukan kerajaan baru.

"Sebaliknya kita tidak akan teragak-agak untuk tidak menyertai mana-mana pihak dalam usaha menubuh kerajaan baru sekiranya ia tidak menguntungkan Islam," katanya ketika ditemui pada majlis berbuka puasa dan penyampaian sumbangan kepada penduduk miskin di sini semalam.

Beliau yang juga anggota parlimen Bachok berkata, PAS boleh berkawan dengan sesiapa sahaja, namun dalam hal-hal berkaitan Islam dan umatnya, parti itu tidak akan berkompromi.- Harakah Daily. net, 29/9/2008 PAS sokong pembentukan kerajaan baru - Timbalan Presiden

The question that will always be a concern with PAS, which is a religious based political party, is the position of Islam.

I am of the opinion that position of Islam is solidly recognized by the Article 3 of Federal Constitution - and Malaysians are not interested in changing this at all..

3. Religion of the Federation.

(1) Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.

I thought that PAS was always about Muslims - irrespective of their ethnicity, and as such it is disturbing to see that Harakah report that talks about Malay Muslims - because many from Sabah and Sarawak, who may be Muslims are not really "Malay Muslims" per se.. There are also the Indian Muslims, the Chinese Muslims, ...maybe the PAS report was inaccurate..

Now, I believe that PAS should not be making such threats about the number of Muslim Malay MPs - and their concern should be only that the current position of Islam as provided in the Federal Constitution be respected...

If 51% or 60% or 80% of the MPs in Pakatan Rakyat are non-Muslims, PAS should not be worried...so long as position of Islam in Malaysia is not threathened...

We have to really move away from this pre-occupation with ethnicity and religion, that was a characteristic of the BN component parties, that is being slowly rejected by progressive Malaysians in search of a ONE Malaysian identity...

For a long time, there were strong prejudices against the PAS amongst the non-Muslims and also Muslims in the country - but today it is going away - BUT when its leader makes such statements like what it did now, it may awaken old prejudices and doubts... Many of these prejudices have been propagated and kept alive by the BN and its controlled media - and it has been a long road for us to be able to 2008, when we now have 5 Pakatan Rakyat states, and what we hope is a 'truly' united Pakatan Rakyat opposition made up of PAS, DAP....and the PKR...(maybe in the future also PSM, GERAKAN, SAPP, PRM, MIC....)

Change came suddenly - and we understand that time is needed to build confidence, trust and relationship between political parties who, before this, only cooperated for and during General Elections...but today have to work together 24 hours 7 days a week governing 5 States...and possibly maybe even the whole Federal Government...

Today, apparently Hadi Awang of PAS placed a condition as to the number of Malay Muslims...

Tommorrow, PKR may place a condition that unless Anwar Ibrahim is accepted as Prime Minister, then they are out of Pakatan Rakyat,

Then, DAP may also have some other conditions...

All these are petty - we have to focus here and now and determine whether the ousting of the BN government is the priority for the good of Malaysia and Malaysians. Other concerns could be resolved later...

Let's not get into the issue of ethnicity and religion of MPs, or the question of quotas...let us just all work for what has always been common, i.e. JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS, FREEDOM, PEACE...