A quick re-visit of Pas’ history from the 1980s to the present will show that the Malaysian public has never had much appetite for violent, extreme and exclusive political discourse and behaviour, be it from Pas or Umno, observes Farish Noor.
During the first half of the 2000s, Pas was linked – falsely and without any evidence – to radical militant groups in an attempt to silence it. Pas too has experienced firsthand the politics of silencing and demonisation, and cried foul when it was the victim of such dirty politics. So why is Pas engaged in the same dirty politics today with regards to SIS, asks Farish Noor.
Many Malaysians are hoping that Pas will remember that its gains in March 2008 were the result of it being in the Pakatan. For that reason, Pas’ leaders need to recognise the needs and demands of the Malaysian public, and be sensitive to the new political realities on the ground in Malaysia. Farish Noor urges Pas not to let these Malaysians down.
This week will witness the 55th General Assembly of Pas. In a sense, the party is at a crucial turning point. The vote swing that took place in March 2008 was not an endorsement for an Islamic state, or moral policing, or a theocracy under the thumb of a bunch of Ayatollahs. Instead, Pas needs to understand that to be a national party with national aspirations means having to develop an inclusive political rhetoric and platform that reflects the multifarious character of Malaysia’s complex society today, observes Aliran member Farish Noor.
Malaysia will not get anywhere as long as the political parties of the country do not reject, once and for all, race and religion-based politics for the sake of the wider long-term goal of nation-building and democratisation, says Farish Noor.
Release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners in Burma
We, the undersigned NGOs, are shocked that Aung San Suu Kyi has now been absurdly charged for the offence of breaking the terms of her house arrest, in particular the condition that forbids visitors, after an American man, swam across the lake and entered her house uninvited and refused to leave.
The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organisation Malaysia (Merhrom) strongly condemns the recent arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by the military regime. Her house arrest will be extended another five to seven years after a journalist from the United States of America sneaked into her house to interview her.