JP/6/SINCHU

JP/6/SINCHU

Controversy over religious interpretation and Islamisation

The Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections have eventually
settled down with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Islam
SeMalaysia (PAS) carrying one seat each.

PAS might have lost a parliamentary seat in Pendang, however,
Barisan Nasional did not succeed in capturing Anak Bukit either,
making any future attempt to redefine the boundaries of Kedah
state assembly constituencies difficult.

The September 11 terrorist attacks on US might have given BN a
lift. Malaysians, in particular non-Muslims, have lost their
confidence in PAS, which has strongly advocated jihad or "holy
war".

The Sept. 11 incident has further polarized the Muslim
community in this country, and differences in religious concepts
have at times superseded issues on Malay rights.

Looking at the Pendang and Anak Bukit by-election results, we
could see that PAS, which many non-Muslims consider radical and
extremist, was still well supported among Muslims: the party
retained the Anak Bukit state assembly seat with an impressive
majority of over 500 (3.15 percent of total votes cast) while
BN's majority in Pendang was a mere 283 (0.62 percent of total
votes cast).

BN scored well in the two earlier by-elections post-September
11. In comparison, the Pendang and Anak Bukit results were
somewhat unusual.

In the past, BN government has been building its formidable
foundation upon the principle of solidarity among the Malays.
After 4 decades of independence, the influences exercised by most
opposition parties have subsided, except PAS.

Judging from Malaysia's current political scenario, our
politics will most likely be polarized in the foreseeable future
between UMNO which "represents the Malay society" and PAS which
"represents the Muslim community".

Having said that, Malay society and Muslim community are
inseparable, almost identical in nature. As such, the struggle
between two Malay parties (or rather two Muslim parties) is
virtually a self-exhaustive internal conflict. As the Malay
population continues to swell, the friction as well as other
negative emotions arising from the split and confrontation will
invariably have a strong and far-fetching bearing on our society.

As the fissure deepens, non-Malays and non-Muslims will
eventually find themselves new darlings of the BN government.
This helps explain BN's victories in the two earlier by-
elections.

However, with the changes in the country's social and ethnic
landscape, this situation may not last forever; and the winning
card must somehow still be drawn from within the Malay community
itself.

If both political parties remain obstinate with their
respective interpretations of Islam, fanned by Hadi Awang's
aggressive rhetoric, Malaysia will only be plunged further into
hot water.