The Parti Islam Of Malaysia (PAS) is expecting a better performance in the 10th Malaysian General Elections on November 29. The best way to grab the inner feelings of this strong Muslim organization, which has been in power in the northern state of Kelantan for the last 10 years, is to listen to its spiritual leader, Chief Minister Dato' Tuan Guru Haji Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
Nik Aziz, frail and small in build, is a compulsive and rational speaker who captures the mind of Muslims. He is the hate of the ruling National Front (NF) for having inflicted on them their most humiliating defeats in Kelantan, the poorest state on the border with Thailand.
Better known as Tok Guru (the learned one) Nik Aziz recently sparked the hatred of non-Muslim, westernized Muslim women and the leaders of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) on several issues.
Most non-Malays are said to be unhappy with PAS's Islamization policy. People see some of the leaders of PAS, such as Nik Aziz and Haji Hadi Awang, as radicals. To dissipate fears and ensure the people that PAS is not an extremist movement, Nik Aziz responds subtly to the detractors.
In recent weeks, the local media highlighted the supposed differences of opinion within PAS and the Alternative Front (AF). Nik Aziz commented, "Allah made people different for differences in opinion. Our coalition has guidelines to which the parties and members adhere. At the end of the day, the parties are united in the struggle to rid the country of the National Front (NF)."
He recently told a forum that PAS was a disciplined party, which shared common objectives with its partners in the opposition coalition. "We have the same objectives and will achieve the same ends together."
Nik Aziz is always involved in the party's policies. Today, PAS is framed on his ideas and systematic approach. He blames the government-controlled media for the trouble he found himself in when he reportedly said, "If the Chinese would be Muslims, there would be no vice and gambling." Another instance is when the media reported that Nik Aziz and PAS intended to stop women from working in government offices and would force Muslim women to wear the scarf.
Local media distorted these statements and his old foes within UMNO exploited the issues to the maximum. The local media insisted his statement caused a split between PAS and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which is also a member of the AF coalition. But this was proven to be wrong.
"Their objective is to sow the seed of disunity in the AF and among its supporters. For example, if I say something, they interpret it another way. They exploit it to attempt to destroy us," he said to a group of Chinese and Indians during a luncheon.
Asked whether PAS will keep its promises of fairness and openness if they oust the government of Mahathir, Aziz replied, "As Muslims we must keep our promises."
As for fairness, he said that even though his government in Kelantan never promised any holidays to the civil servants, they were still given 2 days a week free, with pregnant women given 2 months leave. "We respect peoples rights and we understand their needs."
He added that the Malaysians of Chinese or Indian origins are free to visit him at his house or office to address any issues of concern to them. He recently received a group of Chinese leaders from another state. "They came to get a better picture of the situation in Kelantan. The local Chinese are in peace and harmony. They are very happy with the situation here."
Since the media in Malaysia is not fair to the opposition, PAS uses unconventional ways to promote itself, however limited they may be. The tabloid "Harakah" is supposed to be sold only to its members. The permit given to them is to publish the paper in English and Malay only. But since the surge in the search for information by the public, "Harakah's" sales have sky rocketed to 250,000 for every edition. At the peak of the Reformasi period last year, "Harakah" reported sales of half a million copies.
PAS intended to print it in Chinese and Tamil for a greater reach. But it is not allowed to do so. "Harakah" has been warned its permit might be cancelled if it continues to sell to non-members. "Whatever activity PAS conducts is always exposed to all kinds of threats from the BN government. They are not happy with the response we get from the people of all races in Malaysia due to the present condition of political instability. Nevertheless, the people today are more aware of the injustices and abuses of this government," Nik Aziz said.
Mahathir likes to depict PAS as a party of villagers. Good for village politics and incapable of running a country and its finances. The Chinese also believe that PAS puts too much emphasis on the Malays and feels disheartened by this. To non-Muslims, PAS is a fanatical group.
But Nik Aziz disagrees. He casts no doubt on the final objective of PAS, which is to turn Malaysia into a fully geared Islamic nation. He says UMNO and Mahathir think that PAS is incapable because its leaders dress up like the village people. "To us in PAS and me personally, the Malay dress and the imamah (turban) is the way of Islam. It is also the right way for the people of Kelantan to identify themselves with the leadership of the party and the chief minister," Aziz retorted, adding, "But we've all studied in universities and we are able to run a country smoothly. We have been doing so in Kelantan for 10 years even though we face the terrible scourge of the federal government."
Emphasizing the ultimate goals of PAS, Aziz said that given the opportunity, "we will turn Malaysia into a responsible Muslim country. We have enough professionals to run the economy, business, industry, education, and so on. But our aim is to get rid of things like interest, alcohol, gambling, and any thing that runs away from basic religious principles. We want to ensure morality and a clean way of living to all Malaysians."
Such an empirical test starts from "ground zero," from the base. Aziz wants to change the thoughts and behavior of individuals and the people as a whole, bring the people back to the classic principles of the early generations of Islam. He said PAS was totally different from UMNO. PAS were opposed to UMNO because it has different principles and morals, aims and objectives. UMNO, he argues, is too secular. A party that rejects Islamic principles cuts Islam away from politics, economy, administration and even education.
Aziz insist that UMNO never did a 360-degree turn with its involvement in Malaysian political history. UMNO never influenced the life of the Malaysians in any good way since they adopted the principles, ways and means they inherited from the British colonizers. "In our case in Kelantan, we mix politics, economy and education with Islam. This gives us the power of morality. We run the society based on Islamic principles. This is the daily stock of life in Kelantan," he added.
"We started from zero in Kelantan. To straighten the beliefs and practices of the people was not easy," he said. Under Nik Aziz, Kelantan banned the "swaying kulich," or shadow plays of the Hindu Ramayana. Explicit advertisements also are banned in this reclusive state where poverty is due mainly to Mahathir's long-time refusal to finance any development projects in Kelantan. Only recently did the federal government pour much-needed funds into the state.
"Our aim is to garner all the elements of Islamization together so that it helps us correct the socioeconomic status of the state. We succeeded," Aziz said. In the case of the whole country, they would have to work harder and from a much lower level. But the help of all willing professionals will be needed to rebuild the country on the basis of the principles of Islam.
"There will be no immediate success. But since we are continuing the work of the Prophet of Islam, we have to deal with the hereafter and take into consideration the halal and the haram in affairs of the state. For us, the masjid (mosque) will be the center of everything. But that would not prevent us from going to the parliament and the factories and industrial sites. Development will be done with Islam in mind."
In Kelantan, Nik Aziz meets with Christian priests and Chinese monks. He even visited the Buddha temple in Tumpat. He said he did so because, "All of us have faith. Faith takes into consideration the wrong and the right, life here and the hereafter."
Aziz agreed that his party faces an uphill battle to make the Chinese and Indians accept PAS as a national entity. He lamented on the fact that many Muslims cannot accept PAS because they have been subdued through time by British and western ways of life. As such, the Malays dilute their Islam in western culture, thus limiting Islam's influence in their lives. To this, PAS cannot do anything but to keep campaigning for a vote towards change.
On the burning issue of racial divide in Malaysia, Aziz repeatedly informs the Malaysians that for him and PAS, there are no bumis or non-bumis (Bumiputera is a special status granted to Malays, offering economic and education grants which others don't enjoy). The bumis (Malays) enjoy lots of economic favors that are allocated to them exclusively. Aziz points out that in Islam, all humans are equal. "We will give equal treatment to all. We give scholarships to everyone in Kelantan, Muslims and non-Muslims." In Malaysia, non-Muslims have limited quotas for access to local universities.
The issue of women at work has been a battle cry for Mahathir in his thrust against PAS and Nik Aziz. Aziz believes womens' role should be more at home to take better care of the generations of the future. He also insists that women at work should be segregated from men. This is done in order to eliminate close proximity. Many women agree with him, but not the westernized Muslims. They have harsh criticism against him and treat him like a low-life, village, backward priest who is living in the past.
In Kelantan, men and women work in harmony in the administration of the PAS government. Aziz says PAS respects women's rights. "Even in the Quran, there is a chapter called An-Nisa about women and their rights. This shows the importance of women in Islam." But he believes that it is a must for men to work and take care of women. He says that there are many professional women working with PAS. "We have openings for women. If they can help in the making of Malaysia as a modern Muslim nation."
Aziz is at peace with himself. What worries him most is how PAS will fare in Kelantan. A defeat will mean that all the years of hard work leave nothing to show for it. It would show that Mahathir would have won his last battle. In 1995, when the election results were publicized and Kelantan had retained PAS as the government, Nik Aziz in a sigh of relief said these famous words, "Shukur, Al Hamdulillah. The angels have always been on our side. They indeed helped us win this battle."
Mahathir and UMNO were disgusted with his remarks. They had spent millions in Kelantan in the run-up to the polls to win over voters. They expected a turnaround which did not happen. Mahathir was sour. He then announced that there wouldn't be a single cent given to Kelantan under PAS. He kept his promise until Anwar decided in late 1997 to release the funds.
Should PAS win more seats and states this time around, then Mahathir would have failed in his bid to squash the influence of this frail but tough follower of the Prophet of Islam.
Battle Rages Between Islam And Secularism In Malaysian Elections
