Zaid: Voters can keep dying flames of democracy alive
KUALA LUMPUR: PAS does not recognize the distinction between personal law (Islam) and general law (secular) and abjures the Federal Constitution, explained former de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim before a gathering in Sungai Besar over the weekend. “To PAS, it’s haram (forbidden) not to use God’s law in all walks of life.”
“When PAS comes to power, Islamic law (as understood by them) will become the general law and will hence be applicable to all.”
Zaid expressed the hope that ordinary Malay Muslims and non-Malays want the country to remain happy and peaceful. “They should take the opportunity to vote for the moderate Islamic party Amanah in the forthcoming by-elections.”
He agreed that it was not easy because voters will be inundated with a lot of financial help. “Rubber-tappers in Kuala Kangsar have already received a windfall from the Barisan Nasional (BN).”
“They must think beyond today’s needs, if possible, and do whatever they can to keep the dying flames of democracy alive.”
The distinction between personal law and general law will not exist under PAS, reiterated Zaid, and this blurring of lines was already happening. “The Kelantan Mufti told non-Muslims recently to dress conservatively lest they offend Muslims.”
Today, he added, what’s “indecent” in Kelantan was defined by Muslim personal law, not general law, and state authorities are already blaming the Chinese for their style of dress. “It won’t be long before the meaning of ‘indecent’ will be understood in the way the mullahs see women’s bodies and will be made to apply to all Malaysians as general law,” he warned.
He thinks that it’s imperative that BN component parties seek a deeper understanding of the plan being staged by the Umno right-wing and PAS to “Islamize” the country.
As someone who has retired from active politics, said Zaid in a little digression, he doesn’t get invited to political gatherings. “This is understandable because I don’t represent any political organization.”
“So, it was fortunate that I had five minutes on stage last Saturday in Sungai Besar, thanks to the DAP.”
He told Malay voters, during his five minutes on stage, not to vote for PAS because it had no meaningful political beliefs other than to make life difficult for women. “I told the Chinese not to be lulled into thinking that Islamic law and practices would not apply to them when PAS moved into Putrajaya with Najib,” said Zaid.
Many non-Muslims seem to think that there’s no way Islamic law will apply to them, he lamented. “They are wrong.”
The non-application of Islamic law to non-Muslims was true only as long as the country remains a secular democracy, he argued. “Democracy recognizes that personal law was limited in scope and applicable only to a specific community, such as Muslims, but otherwise the general law of the land — secular in nature — is what governs most aspects of everyone’s lives.”
It might be convenient for the component parties to play second-fiddle for the moment and not put their views across too forcefully because of their business interests or because they think Sabah and Sarawak will always be there to oppose Islamisation, continued the former de facto Law Minister. “They think the Federal Constitution protects them.”
“The Constitution is just whatever the judges decide it is. Our judges have already declared that Islam has a special place in the affairs of our country.”
The word “official” in the sense of “the official religion” has been interpreted to mean that Islam takes precedence in all matters, pointed out Zaid. “Look at the judgment of Apandi Ali in the Herald case and the reluctance of the Federal Court even to grant leave to hear the full arguments.”
The BN component parties should be alarmed, stressed Zaid. “They should have got the message by now. And yet they haven’t, for they are too weak and too selfish to garner enough political will to reverse the process.”
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