Monday, September 29, 2008

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...

7 comments:

  1. -malaysiakini.html reported the demolition of a Hindu temple in Selangor. It appears that the MIC through their cyber troopers like Punithan Shan (picture above) are causing damage to Pakatan Rakyat if this comment by srihero1 has any truth to it. Hindraf and Pakatan Rakyat may want to consider taking legal action against this Blogger and those like him before more damage is done...More http://margeemar.blogspot.com

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  2. I agreed with you.
    As long as the leaders are capable, treating all malaysian fairly and applying CAT, I have no doubts in supporting any leaders from PR.

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  3. If it is true then, there is no point suffering and struggling with any politicians. We might as well return to monarchy and the state fully run by the sultans. I think after 51 years can we revert back to the period of Malacca sultanate.
    The rakyat are not stupid any more, so all politicians behave yourself, play GOD no more or soon you will realize that the sky is too high and when you fall, the pain will be unbearable. Good Luck

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  4. Well said Charles Hector. You have hit the nail on the head. PAS should not deviate into pettiness like there must be more Muslim Mps for it to remain in PR. In doing so, PAS will be no better than UMNO. It is such pettiness that reflects the divisive nature of BN politics and PR must rise above all these to be the future federal govt. Not being able to do so would make PR no different from BN

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  5. what is wrong with these PAS monkeys ?

    During elections they welcomed non Muslims votes. If Non Muslims are so "haram" to PAS then come next GE announce that u dont want any Non Muslims to vote for you..........

    Bloody stupid serban clad BAST#$%S

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  6. Thats the problem in Malaysia, before anything, already making sand castles. counting the chickens you going to have and the egg factory you going to establish before even the first egg is bought. i remember when I was a young boy there was a malaysian tale told about a villager on the way to town to buy egg-hatchlings to start a egg farm, he had a plan on what he was going to do with the eggs but got into daydreaming, till he lost his money, so no money, no eggs, no nothing, If I remember correctly it was in Malay and was a malay cultural fable told to teach a lesson in ' JANGAN ANGGAN ANGGAN TERLALU BANYAK. Take one small step at a time instead of leaps and bounds when you haven't even formed any sort of Federal Government. So a word of advice to all our Politicians, Don't start giving ultimations, because the rakyat voted for you on 1 manifesto, what the 'RAKYAT GIVETH, THE RAKYAT CAN TAKETH AWAY', Hadi Awang and his trengganau have been exposed to be in the pro-umno block, on wanting to form a pact with umno for their greater agenda, Lest he forgets, the PAS MUKHTAMAR IN IPOH, Unanonymously choose to support Pakatan and turned down the Umno offers. It seems that, with no disrespect to Pas members, that Hadi Awang seem to be trying to throw a spanner into the works of Pakatan, forming the next federal govt.

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  7. Why the need for these melayu/muslims to be so insecure and small minded? Big picture people, look at the big picture. Race and religion do not matter, only good governance.I guess in time PAS will also start repeating the famous UMNO slogan(demi bangsa, agama dan negara). Can't it just be demi negara tercinta? We may only see progress in this country IF these melayu/muslims mature. (big if).

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