Pakatan/Pas/Anwar must show resolve

This is somewhat belated, but I hope it’s still not too late for me to offer my congratulations to Selangor state assemblymen Yeo Bee Yin and Lau Weng San. Both made a sensible and courageous suggestion to resolve the Allah issue in relation to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (Jais) recent actions in confiscating Bibles from the Bible Society of Malaysia.

They suggested repealing the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988, but for this they were unfairly and harshly criticised by their own Pakatan colleagues, including no less a personality than their leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for “jumping the gun”, as he put it.

Aside from these two young lawmakers, no one else has had the guts to show Selangor and the rest of the country a way to resolve the issue. I am disappointed that Anwar has once again failed to show leadership when it was urgently required.

If the Barisan Nasional’s head honcho is unwilling to offer a solution, then the people expect the leader of the opposition to show he is made of sterner stuff. It’s disappointing that both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Anwar are the only choices we have!

Everyone has concluded that it would be suicidal for Pakatan to take the lead in this issue. Commentators have argued that Pas/Anwar would be “destroyed” if they attempted to repeal the Enactment. Pas, they say, would not be willing to repeal the Enactment for fear of a Muslim backlash. One senior academic even theorised that the opposition coalition would not survive this issue. How wrong can they be?

Pakatan can only lead the country if it is brave enough to offer solutions to the difficult religious and ethnic issues that Umno seems adept at creating. Pakatan can only be stronger if they can take on Umno on these issues by presenting comprehensive solutions and not shying away as they are prone to do. It’s time Pakatan showed their resolve and conviction by presenting to the country ways of resolving the Allah issue in a practical manner. It’s time they show they are made differently from Umno.

After all, three years ago Pakatan had already made a decision on this matter. They decided it was best to allow the use of the word “Allah” for prayers and in the Bible, provided the word was not abused, for example, to deceive Muslims. In other words, the hard decision has already been made. If Pakatan really believes in its own decision and is willing to hold to it, then it’s only logical that it supports the repeal of the Enactment.

The “mischief” that the Enactment sought to address is the forced conversion of Muslims. Banning 35 words, including “Allah”, cannot possibly achieve that purpose, especially when the ban would entail infringing on the rights of Christians and Sikhs in the country, as well as on schoolchildren singing the state anthem. If such an impractical piece of legislation is allowed to remain in the statute book, then one must not complain if Jais or other enforcement agencies go on acting in the manner that they have.

If the issue is the vulnerability of Muslims being “unknowingly “converted into Christianity (which the likes of Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, Malay rights leader Datuk Hasan Mohamed Ali Hassan and Perkasa have strenuously alluded to), then a new law to address the issue of conversion needs to be enacted. That’s all there is to it. Pakatan, especially Pas, have enough Muslim scholars and intellectuals who can explain to Muslims that the Enactment, the brainchild of Umno, is ill-suited to address this “mischief”. Further, the Enactment is ultra vires the Constitution in my view. People like former Perak Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin and other genuine Muslim scholars would have no difficulty countering any Umno propaganda that says the Enactment protects Muslims.

Equally, the good people in the National Unity Consultative Council should have done more than just expressed their unhappiness with the conduct of Jais. They should have endorsed the two assemblymen’s suggestion and asked the PM to pass legislation allowing for the use of the word. Otherwise, Jais would be duty bound to continue with their actions, and in no time we will have another controversy to deal with. When will we have time to deal with the real issues affecting the country?

It seems to me that Pakatan always recoils under pressure when presented with Umno’s religious propaganda. I can’t fathom why. Islam is not an illogical or insensible religion. The liberating force of Muslim ethics and morality is universally known, and there is an adequate body of work from religious scholars – past and present – that can be used to defend the principles of the Constitution.

Anyone reading the writings of Dr Asri and other progressive writers would realise that Islam’s teachings are much wider and deeper in meaning than those dished out by the ethno-religious department of Umno. But unless Pas and Anwar are prepared to climb the mountain of faith and present the pristine Islam to the Muslims of this country, then we have no hope for democracy and the rule of law.

They must believe that divine law requires a rational application and a study of things in society. They must believe that divine law in no way contradicts with philosophy or universal human values. That’s why in Islamic history a mufti had to be someone steeped in comparative religion, so he could advise the Caliphs about conflicts of laws and cultures within the Islamic empire. Peace was always a paramount consideration in Islamic societies.

How is Pakatan going to move forward and present the country with new policies and new, highly-qualified muftis that can ensure peace and harmony if they continuously tie themselves to the ghosts created by Umno? Let Pakatan declare the Islamic principles they wish to offer to our institutions for a better country, and still live within the context of laws and demands of the Federal Constitution. Pakatan must offer a “thinking” policy statement, so that ignorance can be slowly dealt with.

Umno thrives on the ignorance and fear of Muslims, so Pakatan and Pas must do the opposite to liberate them. They must not be easily scared about possibly losing votes in doing so. If this is the case, then they are being unduly opportunistic and are clearly prepared to sacrifice their principles for political victory. What then are they fighting for?

Pakatan as a coalition that earns votes will no longer suffice. Pakatan’s strategy of withholding on the sensitive issues and dealing with them later, when power comes their way, will not work. The people are only interested in real change. Muslims also surely want a country that is not Islamic in terms of slogans and cosmetic change, but a country that is truly just and fair for all God’s creations.

Pakatan must do justice to Islam. It need not be fearful of presenting a new Islamic agenda for the country. Try to get Dr Asri to join in, if not as a member then as a contributor to the cause. There are many others. As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. – January 13, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.