Kuala Trengganu By-Election: PAS's Damage Control from the Fallout on the Huddud Law Issue

Read here the interview with Dr Dzulkefli Ahmad on Malaysia-Today

Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad is the Member of Parliament for Kuala Selangor and the Director of the PAS Research Centre.

WE SAY,

PAS leadership right from the top, including Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Haji Hadi Awang and Husam Musa in particular, should take heed the advice of Dr. Dzulkefli Ahmad, if they want PAS to remain relevant to Malaysian voters across the racial and religious divide.

We had always believe, especially prior to the March 2008 election, that PAS has a constructive role to play in Opposition politics and in charting the path for our nation into the 21st century in which all our citizens can be comfortable with. It was on that realization we gave our full and undivided support to PAS's candidacy to win government in the last general election.

However in recent months, some PAS leaders have caused us to raise the flag of concern ( READ here and here ) on the direction they are taking PAS as a component partner in Pakatan Rakyat. It was not what voters who voted PAS (especially the non-Muslim voters) had bargained for.

PAS leadership has shown a lack of unity and consistency with its policy statements, almost to the point of political immaturity, to engage constructively with the broader voting public. From recent speeches, comments and action by PAS leaders and supporters, PAS is being perceived as being too theologically-constrained and too single-minded to its own detriment, and to boot, with a negative baggage it can't shed off.

If PAS, when still in Opposition, is unable to get its act together without frequent "flip-flopping", to quote Dr. Dzulkefli Ahmad, what more can Malaysians expect when PAS is in Government?

Now we have a highly respected individual in PAS admitting frankly that the PAS leadership fumbled badly in recent months in projecting the party's image. Question is: Does the leadership care or be bothered about it?

Our view is that the onus is now on PAS top leadership to learn lessons from this and to re-tool its strategy and tactics to properly engage not only its voter-base but with Malaysians in general.

It is time for PAS leadership to take a reality-check on the party itself leading towards the next general election.

Simply said, PAS top leadership should get its act together immediately. And the PAS leadership should heed fully the advice of Dr.Dzulkefli Ahmad. Until and unless it does so, we would still stand by our view that PAS should be denied a vote to send a candidate to the Federal Parliament in any election, including the coming Kuala Trengganu by-election.
-Malaysian Unplug

Quote:

".. Despite our constant reminders to all party leaders not to shoot ourselves in our own feet, I know the temptation is just too great -- especially when challenged in our own turf, in our own constituency, and in front of our own party members.

It is not that they (UMNO/Barisan Nasional) are very smart but rather it’s just that we, PAS, are less savvy and keep doing the wrong thing.

We could have cleverly avoided this polemic and not get trapped into the Hudud controversy, yet again. The question asked was: Would Pakatan Rakyat implement the Hudud law when they take over the Federal Government? YB Husam could have answered that it is for Pakatan Rakyat’s top leadership to decide, and his opinion is immaterial to the decision.

Given the demographic make-up of the Malaysian voters -- a scenario of 60:40 Malays-Muslims versus Non-Malays-Non-Muslims -- an issue like the Islamic State or Hudud is surely a “Double-Edged” sword for a party like PAS.

The party think-tank was firm and relentless in making sure that PAS’s message is inclusive, comprehensible and appealing. Hence, we came with a manifesto “A Clean and Trustworthy Government - A Nation of Care and Opportunity”. And we came up with the tag-line - “PAS for All”. Yes, we benefited because we knew what to say and how to say it.

I must admit it is tough, especially when, time and again, we are caught by our own rhetoric and perceived as inconsistent and always taking a ‘flip-flop’ position.

PAS leaders and members must learn how to exercise restrain and tact. This is extremely crucial.

PAS needs the support of the non-Malays-non-Muslims. We can’t make it with just Malay-Muslim support. This, no one can deny. Not even PAS thinks it can make it with just Malay-Muslim support. Yet we keep saying the wrong things, much to our own detriment.

While PAS may be in a position to win a few states, even on their own, PAS is nowhere close to getting power on our own at Federal level. The question of PAS taking the federal government is academic and hypothetical, given Malaysia’s demographic make-up."
-Dr. Dzulkefli Ahmad

Malaysia-Today posted the transcript of the interview with Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad seeking his views on the raging controversy on PAS's insistence on enforcing the Huddud Laws and the establishment of the Islamic State. The controvery arose when Husam Musa publicly said PAS would push for the Huddud laws ( by extension, the Islamic State) if Pakatan Rakyat wins the next general election.

The questions posed by Malaysia-Today to Dr. Dzulkefli Ahmad were: (read here)

1. The Hudud issue has reared its ugly head again -- and with the Kuala Terengganu by-election looming over the horizon on top of that. What is your comment about this old but new controversy?
   
   
2. Could not Dato Husam Musa or any other PAS leader just avoid this very dicey subject of Hudud and the Islamic State, knowing that whichever way you respond they will ‘spin’ your reply and you still can’t win?
   
   
3. Why must PAS leaders allow themselves to again be dragged into this polemic? Some say that it may be better for PAS to just avoid the issue, as proven in the last General Election. What is your comment?
   
   
4. Are you saying that PAS will not be able to sustain the support of the non-Malays-non-Muslims if it is to take this path of sending wrong and conflicting signals?
   
   
5. You have said, on other occasions, that Islam is not just a matter of Hudud, Qisas, etc., which would be a legal reductionism of a larger concept into punitive legal matters -- or in short about punishment and punishing people. How would you like others, especially non-Muslims-non-Malays, to understand PAS as a political party that they should consider supporting?
   
   
6. So what would you describe as PAS’s main thrust in your political message and political advocacy as a member of Pakatan Rakyat
   
   
7. Why must PAS take it upon themselves to defend and champion Hudud? Couldn’t PAS share the burden with others?

EXCERPTS of the remarks made by Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad to a series of questions (see above) posed by Malaysia-Today.


Dr. Dzulkefli Ahmad:

" I must admit I am very disturbed by this. Despite our constant reminders to all party leaders not to shoot ourselves in our own feet, I know the temptation is just too great -- especially when challenged in our own turf, in our own constituency, and in front of our own party members.

Barisan Nasional’s spin-doctors are at work again. It is not that they are very smart but rather it’s just that we, PAS, are less savvy and keep doing the wrong thing.

I thought we could have cleverly avoided this polemic and not get trapped into the Hudud controversy, yet again. The question asked was:

Would Pakatan Rakyat implement the Hudud law when they take over the Federal Government?

YB Husam could have answered that it is for Pakatan Rakyat’s top leadership to decide, and his opinion is immaterial to the decision.

But that is not how PAS would like to handle the issue of the Islamic State or Hudud. The issue is so ‘sacred’ to the psyche of PAS, especially of its leaders.

PAS must learn to ‘unlearn’ and to think out of the box.

Given the demographic make-up of the Malaysian voters -- a scenario of 60:40 Malays-Muslims versus Non-Malays-Non-Muslims -- an issue like the Islamic State or Hudud is surely a “Double-Edged” sword for a party like PAS. Umno, in fact, has the equivalent to this in the Ketuanan Malay -- a double-edged sword that angers even component party members in Barisan Nasional but thought to be Umno’s sacred cow amongst the Malays.

PAS seems to be of the opinion that we have to play to the Malay-Muslims gallery when championing the Islamic State/Hudud (IS/H) and ideologically contrast ourselves from Umno -- which is half-hearted or non-committal at best about the I.S/H, or worst, in opposition to it.

PAS fears that should they fail to uphold and remain steadfast on both the IS/H, Umno and the Malays may accuse them of ‘compromising and betraying their Islamic struggle’, or of ‘kowtowing’ to DAP or PKR -- a position PAS wouldn’t want to place the party in and risk losing a bigger Malay-Muslim votes, including their core supporters in the Malay heartland states.

But is this perception or fear founded or ever verified, or is it just a fallacy?

As for the Chinese and Indian voters, their support for PAS in the last General Election was essentially because PAS was able to allay their fears and anxiety about both the Islamic State/Hudud.

Our ‘Inoculation Strategy’ worked well to break down the prejudice and negative stereotyping, which was demonised by the mainstream media and, sometimes, admittedly reinforced by our own ‘misdoings’ -- like the of launching the ill-understood Islamic State Document (ISD) in 2002 that invariably caused the breakup of the Barisan Alternatif when DAP left the opposition coalition.

While Umno/BN suffered a political Tsunami on 8 March 2008, PAS wasn’t sure it would be able to ride that wave and win big, unlike PKR and DAP then.

PKR and DAP were confident of gaining from the swing. But not PAS.

PAS only became a beneficiary when the party think-tank repositioned its political advocacy and messaging away from a ‘formative approach to a substantive one’. The party think-tank was firm and relentless in making sure that PAS’s message is inclusive, comprehensible and appealing. Hence, we came with a manifesto “A Clean and Trustworthy Government - A Nation of Care and Opportunity”.

And we came up with the tag-line - “PAS for All”. Yes, we benefited because we knew what to say and how to say it.

Frankly, I must admit, time and again, we are caught by our own rhetoric and perceived as inconsistent and always taking a ‘flip-flop’ position. So we have to revisit our ‘political messaging’ and 'political advocacy', once and for all.

PAS leaders and members must learn how to exercise restrain and tact. This is extremely crucial.

PAS needs the support of the non-Malays-non-Muslims. We can’t make it with just Malay-Muslim support. This, no one can deny. Not even PAS thinks it can make it with just Malay-Muslim support. Yet we keep saying the wrong things, much to our own detriment.

PAS is unique, in that it is both a political party and an ideological one. The ideological commitment is Islam. Islam is our raison d’etre, our reason of being here. In a mixed-demography like Malaysia, this is almost like a political non-starter, many may argue.

While PAS may be in a position to win a few states, even on their own, PAS is nowhere close to getting power on our own at Federal level. The question of PAS taking the federal government is academic and hypothetical, given Malaysia’s demographic make-up.

Hence, PAS must be in a Coalition with the other component parties of the Opposition. It is now almost mandatory to be in one Grand Coalition to take on Change and Reform in Malaysia.

Being in a Political Coalition, or Tahaluf Siyasi in Arabic, with our Pakatan Rakyat partners is not only permissible but almost enjoined by the Syariah. I have no qualms in admitting this. The ‘Siyasah Syariah’ or Syariah-Driven Politics enjoins this approach. We are truly a plural politic in a plural society.

There is no other way towards achieving government save through Power-Sharing (Tahaluf Siyasi) and understanding the demands of Plurality (not meaning Pluralism).

Bearing in mind the supreme purpose of Syariah is Justice (Al-‘Adaalah), and that Justice is the largest common denominator of the three parties in Pakatan Rakyat, PAS must remain focused on this noble goal. PAS must also place the principles of achieving Good Governance (Al-Istikhlaf) and Wellbeing for All (Al-Isti’mar) as critical cornerstones of a new nationhood. All these are Quranic concepts are both universal and inclusive. These principles are in consonant with the aspirations of PKR and DAP.

Of course you have other shared visions as enshrined in the Federal Constitution as in Rule of Law, Fundamental Liberties, etc.

PAS must state in very categorical terms that these are our shared objectives and visions in Pakatan Rakyat.

While Hudud is important, as enjoined and to be enforced only on Muslims, right now the people are not ready.

The focus must first be on Justice and Good Governance, and maybe we revisit the subject of Hudud and the Islamic State some years down the road, if that is possible -- which may never be possible considering the demographic makeup of Malaysia.

So you move away from representing Islam as being a corpus of legal prescriptions that are only aimed at punishing people.

• Your rhetoric no longer hinges on the claim that Islam is going to solve all social problems and abominations through punishing them – meaning through the punitive laws of Hudud, Qisas and Ta’zir.
  
  
• You indeed put an end to reducing Islam as merely aimed at criminalising and prosecuting people and break that negative stereotyping and biased perception.
  
• You reposition Islam as a Liberating Force of Democracy providing Justice for All and of ending injustices, both socio-political, economic and religious
  
  
• You then stress on the role of Islam in nation-rebuilding and being part of a constructive engagement to end all excesses of corruption and mismanagement of the national wealth and resources.

If later, however, the Malay-Muslim constituency demands the implementation of Hudud, etc., this must only be done within the ambit and in the due process of law and legislation of the country and not otherwise. But again, the Islamic punitive laws shall only be enforceable on Muslims.

For the record, the PAS governments of Kelantan (in 1993) and Terengganu (in 2003) had passed the Enactment of Islamic Penal Code or Criminal Laws, both Hudud and Qisas, and rightly endorsed by both Sultans, being the head of state and of religious affairs.

It was the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who rejected its implementation and strongly reprimanded the state governments after earlier giving his consent, as reported in the mainstream media (19th and 25th April, 1992).

PAS must no longer take it only upon themselves as to the implementation of the Islamic Penal Code. It must be shouldered by ALL Muslims from all divides. The onus and responsibility should be on all! In so doing, PAS will cease to be the Champion of Hudud, while similarly not being burdened in suffering the backlash every time the emotive subject is brought to the fore by its political nemesis.

PAS should highlight to all that it’s the Umno/BN government that is stifling the effort to have the punitive laws of Islam enforced on Muslims. That’s the greatest political advantage and PAS could remain focused and consistent in championing the more important issues of the nation, together with its coalition partners in Pakatan Rakyat.

COMMENTARY

From The Aisehman: Read here for more

"..Vice President Husam Musa says the party will push for Hudud laws if the Pakatan Rakyat wins the next general election.

He said the “burden” of implementing such laws did not fall only on PAS’s shoulders, but is also the responsibility of all Muslim leaders.

I think we should settle this Hudud issue once and for all.

It is a bit rich for PAS to keep on harping on its “vision” of an Islamic state — which but of course, includes Hudud — knowing full well that it will not be able to get enough votes to be in the position to actually put in place such a state.

In other words, PAS needs to, on its own, garner enough support to form the Federal Government before the party can implement it.

I suspect that pigs will discover Bernoulli’s principle and take to the air before that happens.

In the way is UMNO, PKR, DAP, MCA, MIC, and assorted other political objectors, not to mention a sizeable number of voters.

So to suggest that something is imminent when in fact it dun have a chance in hell of coming to fruition, is kinda hypocritical.

Now, some PAS leaders might argue that the religion requires the implemention of Hudud to at least be a goal of every Muslim political leader.

I say that you don’t need Hudud to have an Islamic state, certainly not in a country where you have a very large non-Muslim minority.

Can anyone show me an example of a state that implemented and executed all the rules and regulations of Islam, at all times?

Medina, during the time of the Prophet? It would be wise for PAS leaders to remind themselves that the non-Muslims there and then voluntarily agreed to be bound by the rule and dictate of the Prophet.

Key phrase: Voluntarily agreed to.

In this day and age, in a country that practices democracy (sort of) and with a diverse population like ours, such a voluntary agreement is by and large wishful thinking. So, lets not be held back by what is basically angan-angan and confuse it with realistic expectations.

Let’s focus on an Islamic state that emphasises universal ideals and principles, a state that most, if not all Malaysians, can agree to, and one that is utterly attainable.

The sooner that PAS snaps out of its dogmatic political approach, the better it will be for everyone.

I CHALLENGE the leaders of the party, my party, to put their money where their mouth is and demonstrate their “commitment” to Hudud law by withdrawing from Pakatan Rakyat, going back to having an ultra-conservative, Hudud-laden Islamic state as their primary and sole political platform, and contesting in every Muslim majority Parliamentary constituency in the next general election.

Go ahead and walk the talk, dudes. After all, isn’t God on our side? "

FROM a reader (ismhakim) in Malaysia-Today: Read here for more

"... The KT By-Election is to send someone from Trengganu to Kuala Lumpur to seat in the Federal Parliament. As an MP, he is bound by the Federal Constitution.

If we ask the KT voters to vote PAS, we need to ask ourselves whether the PAS MP or PAS as political party WILL DEFEND THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION and ALL the articles in the Constitution.

Since March 8, PAS has re-stated its desire to form an ISLAMIC STATE and to ENFORCE SHARIA AND HUDDUD LAWS. Never mind that it takes 2/3 majority to change the constitution. That's another issue to resolve when the bridge is to be crossed.

Right now, PAS's stand on the Islamic State and the Sharia Laws is TOTALLY AGAINST the very fundamental position of the Federal Constitution which the courts have ruled we are a Secular State and that Federal Constitution is paramount.

But PAS, including Husam Musa the moderate, and Nik Aziz and all PAS leaders and the Pro PAS bloggers are adamant that should PAS form Govt, it will pursue the Islamic State, which is in direct confrontation with the Federal Constitution.

No where in the Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto that should PR wins govt, that the coalition will agree to the Islamic State.So where does that put PAS?

Before we give PAS the nod for the KT Parliamentary seat, we should ask the fundamental question, and ask ourselves right now: CAN PAS BE DEPENDED UPON TO DEFEND THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION WHICH ALL OF US FOUGHT HARD PRIOR TO THE MARCH 8 ELECTION AND WHICH WE SAID THAT UMNO/BARISAN NASIONAL HAD TRAMPLED UPON.

With PAS winning seats in Parliament, the Federal Constitution will be further threatened by PAS's mandate to form the Islamic State and enforce the Sharia Laws.

We must face squarely this issue right now: PAS's mandate for an Islamic State versus the Federal Constitution.

Since the KT Byelection will NOT change Federal Govt, then a message should be sent to PAS through this FEDERAL BYELECTION that its stand on the Islamic State is unacceptable, any more than UMNO's ketuanan melayu.(Note: ketuanan melayu does not confront directly the Federal Constitution as that of PAS's Islamic State).

This is a NOT a case of supporting UMNO/BN or its candidate, but a REJECTION of PAS's candidate for PAS demanding stand on the Islamic State and the sharia/huddud laws.

The NON-MUSLIM PAS SUPPORTERS CLUB and the 12 percent non Muslim votersin the KT constituency must come to terms with this issue NOW...."