Najib will outwit PAS’ Mad Mullah in the Unity Game

by Mariam Mokhtar@www.malaysiakini.com

Najib Abdul Razak managed to woo Abdul Hadi Awang with a whirlwind romance, by whispering sweet nothings, like hudud, into the cleric’s ear. The romantically naïve Hadi has not had as many liaisons as the Prime Minister. This political romance will descend into mistrust and treachery.

No one can advise Hadi. As with a love-struck teenager, telling him that he will get hurt will only drive him into the arms of his lover.  Hadi will be betrayed, even before Najib carries him over the marital threshold.

The magic words of hudud, a unity government, Malay special rights and protecting Islamic interests are not the right ingredients for a happy political marriage in multicultural Malaysia. This union is doomed from the start, because Najib will be unfaithful.

The manner in which Hadi rushed through the hudud amendments bill in Kelantan was the act of a 67-year-old man who is preparing to face his maker and tell Him that he did his best to implement hudud in an Islamic state. In April, he tried to convince Chinese and Indian Malaysians to accept an Islamic economy, because he wants a clear conscience.

The old PAS, which the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (photo) promoted, is gone. To make PAS more acceptable to non-Muslims, Nik Aziz would visit Chinese homes for the Lunar New Year festivals, and formed a PAS association which enabled non-Muslims to become PAS members.

Today, the resurgence of a conservative PAS, which insists on hudud, is no different from the UMNO Baru which spews Ketuanan Melayu. Hadi and Najib lead parties which are race- and religion-based.

The signs of Hadi being ‘unfaithful’, and having a tryst with UMNO Baru, despite being married to Pakatan, have been evident for some time. These are: The Kajang move confirmed that women will never play a major role in PAS’ politics. Hadi’s absence from crucial Pakatan meetings. The progressives being excluded from the central committee. PAS constantly blaming DAP for disunity. Hudud being used as an excuse for Pakatan’s break-up. PAS’ spiritual leader, Harun Din, insisting that UMNO Baru supports hudud.

Hadi’s absence from Parliament during which MPs had to decide the crucial Prevention of Terror Act (Pota) Bill, despite him being in KL at the time. PAS blaming DAP for rejecting hudud.

It is partly the fault of the progressives in PAS for not making a stand. They wanted to keep a low profile until the general assembly, but with hindsight, they ought to have stood up against the conservative faction. The grassroots were disappointed that the progressives refused to challenge the ulama and lacked the courage to speak up. The damage has been done, for their lack of action.

Sharing one thing in common

Last week, we heard that Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President, had resigned. Blatter, Najib and Hadi may seem like an unlikely trio, but they share one thing in common, and it is not football.

Blatter resigned in a dramatic turn of events after strenuously dismissing allegations of corruption. After 40 years at FIFA, with 17 of those as its president, Blatter said, “While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football – the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at FIFA.”

One simply swaps the appropriate words in Blatter’s speech, and the remarks will apply to both Hadi and Najib, “While I have a mandate from the membership of the central committee (supreme council for UMNO Baru), I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire nation – the rakyat, the ministers, the local parties, the people who live, breathe and love Malaysia as much as we all do at the top of PAS (or UMNO Baru).”

There are many parallels between football and Malaysian politics. There is brand loyalty, the loyal supporters, the major players who enjoy massive perks, their spendthrift wives, the sponsorship deals, the allegiance which passes from father to son, and the behind-the-scenes match fixing aka cheating in elections. There is also the fact that the heroes can do no wrong, because the fans see them through the prism of loyalty.

Like Blatter, who has lost the confidence of all football fans, Najib does not have the mandate of the people to rule Malaysia. Even after allegations of massive cheating in GE13, he only ‘won’ 47 percent of the votes.

Hadi fails to inspire modern, progressive Malays. He and his central committee of conservative PAS members have said nothing about 1MDB and the massive corruption issues plaguing the nation. Hudud appears to be their only concern.

UMNO Baru and Ketuanan Melayu are dead. If UMNO Baru was keen on hudud, they would have implemented it, decades ago. Hudud was used to trap Hadi.

Hadi ignores the fact that an Islamic state is not acceptable to Malaysians. Malaysians want parties which are multiracial and have a multiracial concept. Today, there is very little to differentiate between UMNO Baru and Hadi’s PAS. One is corrupted by money, the other is corrupted by spiritual intransigence. Both demand power.

Hadi and Najib might want to read-up on Islamic history. Islamic nations fail not because of outside threats but because they self-destructed. Their threats were internal. It was Muslim against Muslim. Perhaps this is what Najib had in mind for Hadi – together we fall.