|
Tuesday, 20-Jan-2004 9:40 AM ENGLISH SECTION HARAKAH The misunderstood ISD Raja Petra Kamarudin On Monday, 5 January 2004, I was invited for a dialogue session between some PAS leaders and members of the media at the Century Paradise Club in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur. The invitation e-mailed to me said that Dato Dr Hassan Mohd Ali, Dato' Dr Haron Din and Dr Mohd Hatta Mohd Ramli would be conducting the dialogue. Hmm…three doctors in a row, I thought to myself. What a professional group indeed and a far change from the Umno-organised dialogues that I used to attend in the pre-Reformasi days when the panel sent you home feeling this country certainly has a bunch of jokers as leaders. I will not waste space and time by relating what we had to go through, but rest assured that your immediate opinion would have been: if this is all it takes to become a Malaysian minister, then I would probably qualify for Prime Minister. It is not that I have a superiority complex mind you. It is just that they are so damn inferior I do not know how in heaven’s name they ever became ministers. I know Dr Hatta personally, a member of my alma mater, the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, but I have never interacted with the other two and I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to size them up. Are they really the country bumpkins their critics say they are? (Their turbans are too tight it restricts blood circulation to the brain, as how the Umno leaders scoff). Imagine my surprise when the PAS President, Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang, casually walks in. They did not say he was coming and it was a pleasant surprise indeed. I of course know Tok Guru personally and I can proudly declare he was one of my three teachers in the 20 years I lived in Terengganu. Everything I know about Islam I learnt from him plus the two others, not all of them PAS leaders mind you. One of them, Tok Guru Abdul Rahman Patani, was actually a lecturer at the government-run Kolej Ugama Sultan Zainal Abidin or KUSZA, so clearly he was not anti-government or political in his leanings. But what he taught was no different from what the PAS leaders expounded, though he may be regarded as “government”, so this shows what PAS propagates is all about Islam and not “PAS doctrine” in any way. Anyway, back to the PAS dialogue. What impressed me most was the manner Hadi made his “grand entrance”. There was no fanfare or guard of honour like what would accompany the Umno leaders, even how far down the line they may be. Being not only the PAS President but the Chief Minister of Terengganu on top of that I would have expected some sort of “protocol” befitting his status. At least there should have been a reception committee. But no, Hadi just walked in like any “normal” person and shook hands with everyone present. He was then ushered to the main table, but instead of taking his place at the table a la VIP, he invited the rest of us to join him. Such humility and informality, something you will never find in the ruling party or even some of the other opposition parties for that matter. Dr Haron Din, who is the PAS Information Chief, then briefed us on the road show they are currently conducting the length and breadth of Malaysia to explain their Islamic State Document (ISD). Umno is alarmed at the positive response from the non-Muslims, said Dr Haron. At all the places they went, the non-Muslims, after hearing what the PAS leaders had to say, found no problems accepting the ISD. In fact, some of them felt the ISD was rather good if what it plans to achieve is actually realised -- that is, the pursuit of justice. Dr Haron then reiterated that the ISD is meant to introduce Islamic laws for only the Muslims. The non-Muslims, promised Dr Haron, would not be subjected to Islamic law but would instead continue to come under the Penal Code -- meaning, status quo is maintained. Tok Guru Hadi then informed the assembly that the rights, traditions and customs of the non-Muslims would not be compromised or jeopardised in any way and that they would continue to enjoy whatever privileges they are currently enjoying. In fact, under an Islamic system of administration, they would enjoy even more privileges because Islam does not allow racial discrimination like what is presently being practiced in the country. Islam definitely forbids racial discrimination. But then, some would argue, where PAS abolishes racial discrimination it substitutes with religious discrimination. That too does not exist, explained Hadi. Before the state comes out with any new regulations, they first summon all the non-Muslims and leaders of the minority (non-Malay) communities for a discussion to find out what is allowed and forbidden by these other religions and communities. “When they told us their religion allows the drinking of liquor, we did not ban liquor,” said Hadi. “But they admitted that their religion too forbids gambling, so only then did we ban gambling in the state.” It must be noted that what is meant by gambling are public lotteries and casinos. The non-Muslims can always play their game of gin rummy or Mah Jong in the privacy of their homes though this would still be considered gambling. In that sense there is really no TOTAL ban on gambling but just a ban on “public” or “organised” gambling. There have been many accusations of religious prosecution and intolerance levelled at PAS. But the opposite is in fact prevalent. In 1990, when PAS first came to power in Kelantan, the Chief Minister Tok Guru Nik Aziz called the Hindus for a meeting and asked them whether they wanted to build a temple in the state. Of course they did! They had been asking for permission to build one for more than a decade but the then Umno-led government denied them permission. Approval was granted then and there for the temple to be built. Nine years later, when the PAS-led Barisan Alternatif came to power in Terengganu, the Kuala Lumpur leaders of the Catholic Church had an audience with Hadi and asked for permission to build a church in Terengganu. They had been waiting a generation for permission, which was never granted by the then Umno state government. In fact, in the 1980s, the Federal Government arrested some of the Terengganu Church activists under the Internal Security Act, a Chinese girl amongst them, for propagating Christianity. PAS discriminating the non-Muslims? Far from it! In fact, PAS seems to be a better friend of the non-Muslims than the ruling Barisan Nasional. One of my old schoolmates from the Victoria Institution was also amongst those arrested in the 1980s together with that Chinese girl from Terengganu. His crime was also propagating Christianity. It must be clearly understood that Islam respects the rights of the other religions and this too is what PAS practices. Is it a coincidence that the largest Siamese (Buddhist) temple in Malaysia is in Kelantan? PAS will never ban what the other religions permit. If at all a certain act must be banned, then it will be banned for only those whose religions forbid it. As what Hadi once said, during the time of the Prophet, a certain community practiced incest. Since that community allowed a mother or father to marry their own child, then Islam did not ban the practice, but was allowed only for that particular community. And this is what PAS will practice in all matters such as liquor drinking, extra-marital sex, gambling, etc., in short, what Islam considers as sins. As long as a certain act is kosher for any particular religion or community, then PAS will not interfere. And that too is what Islam prescribes. I suppose now the only ones who will oppose the ISD would be the “Westernised” Muslims themselves who would prefer the government not interfere with their “indulgences”. This would probably be the problem PAS is going to face. As they say, God protect me from my “friends”, my “enemies” I can handle myself. Oh, and I was certainly impressed with the performance of the other PAS leaders as well. They certainly proved they are no country bumpkins. And they can even speak English.
|
