When non-Malays voted for PAS in droves during the March 8 elections, it was an indication that the party had made some headway in its efforts to convince these voters that PAS was not the monster some made it out to be.
Undoubtedly, many votes that came PAS’ way were largely due to strong anti-establishment sentiments, but the results must also be seen within the context of non-Malays expressing a preference for an Islamic party over a largely secular, long-established incumbent.
Both non-Malay voters and PAS have crossed significant thresholds that formed a barrier between the two coming together.
When the going got tough, these voters were willing to countenance the act of giving their votes, and consequently, political power, to an Islamic party that in the past was avoided as if it were a colony of lepers.
On its part, PAS managed to dispel the image widely-held by non-Malays that it was nothing more than an extremist group hell-bent on governing Malaysia along the lines of a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
PAS sent out the message that it too stood for justice, fairness and freedom, and that these basic principles, which are both Islamic and universal, would be the basis of its engagement with the people.
That message was, to a considerable degree, successful in moving non-Malay perception of the party from largely negative territory to a more neutral position.
The results of the March 8 elections is proof of that.
But PAS cannot take its newfound “popularity” for granted. For one thing, the whims and fancies of voters are fickle. They can easily swing the other way, especially when the relationship is new and has yet to be battle-tested.
Whether the party realises it or not, it has to prove itself to the non-Malays again and again, before trust can be established on a solid footing.
Non-Malay voters know what they want, and during the elections, they made their hopes and aspirations very clear to all who would look and listen.
PAS sidling up to Umno is not exactly on the wish list.
But what does PAS want?
After March 8, PAS found itself tantalisingly close to the center of power. But the party will never be able to singly achieve political supremacy on its own.
What PAS has going for it is the fact that the party has become the ultimate powerbroker under the current political scenario.
PAS can make the Pakatan Rakyat alliance a success, or it can add much needed steel to the wobbly Barisan National coalition.
The party chose the first option, and saw itself quickly relegated to a supporting role, dominated by a political agenda set out by Anwar Ibrahim.
Some PAS leaders are naturally upset at this state of affairs.
Are the moves to reacquaintant itself with Umno merely intended as a signal that PAS wants to be taken more seriously and be given more prominence in driving the Pakatan Rakyat forward?
Or are they a prelude to a genuinely sought formal political understanding that will see PAS second only to Umno in the heirarchy of the current establishment?
I believe it is the former, because the latter alternative will serve only to consign PAS into the dustbin of Malaysian history.
Labels: Pas Motion
