By P Ramasamy
The historical and ideological differences between PAS and Umno have disappeared so much so that some people are beginning to realise there is only one dominant party amongst the Malays.
Umno once went along the ethnic way and PAS on the Islamic path; however, when it was realised that they were indeed chasing the same segment of the Malaysian population, it was inevitable, given their conservativeness and opportunistic approaches, that a kind of political merger was in the offing.
Umno claims itself as the champion of Malays, PAS the champion of Islam. What is the difference? None in reality. Umno uses Islam to reinforce its ethnic dominance, PAS uses Malay ethnicity to reinforce its religious dominance.
Since Umno’s nationalism is organised in opposition to the ethnic nationalism of non-Malays, who are invariably non-Muslims, Islam becomes an instrument to reinforce Malay nationalism.
Although PAS had some pretentions to move away from Umno’s narrow ethnic nationalism, it has come to realise that nationalism could be effectively used to reinforce its Islamic image. Following the political rupture with the DAP, PAS under the leadership of Hadi Awang has embraced Malay ethnicity as one of the defining features of its conservative Islam.
Umno as the hegemonic partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition not only has introduced the worst kinds of discriminatory practices against the non-Malays, it has also through the state Islamic agencies introduced measures to place curbs on the practice of non-Muslim faiths in the country.
State Islamic departments have made it virtually impossible to convert to non-Muslim faiths. Now even non-Muslims have been told to go to the Syariah court to determine religious status. Unilateral conversions of non-Muslim children will pose a major challenge.
The last hopes for non-Muslims against the arbitrary decisions of the state Islamic agencies are the civil courts. However, the civil courts of late have taken a subservient position vis-à-vis the Syariah court. On the matter of conversion to Islam, however unfair and unjust, the civil courts have abdicated their role to the Syariah court.
Umno’s conservative and state-based religious approach has been complemented by the PAS move to embrace hudud, another conservative and reactionary kind of Islamic practice that is not even introduced in countries where the populations are one hundred percent Muslims.
This is why the predominantly non-Muslim based DAP broke ranks with PAS which led to the collapse of the people’s coalition called Pakatan Rakyat and the formation of Pakatan Harapan.
Umno and PAS might have had their historical differences but their conservative and reactionary approach to ethnicity and religion have brought them together for a final and deadly embrace.
Malaysians will pay a heavy price for this costly and opportunistic embrace for power and greed.
P. Ramasamy is the state assemblyman for Prai and vice-chairman of Penang DAP
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