Culture clash
The Parti Islam se-Malaysia, or PAS, presently controls two states - Kelantan and Terengganu - in the Malay heartland out of a total of 13 and is hoping to capture 'a few more' in this year's general elections.
In 1999, riding on an anti-government wave in the aftermath of the jailing of Anwar Ibrahim, the charismatic but disgraced former deputy prime minister, PAS made strong inroads in Kedah, Perlis, Pahang and Selangor, and is hoping to wrest control this time around. These states, while having a sizeable Malay population, also have a significant Chinese and Indian population.
PAS had wooed non-Malays in Kelantan and Terengganu in earnest through various means like scholarships and waivers on road toll collections. But all the goodwill built in the last five years was smashed recently when PAS appeared to take an intolerant stance towards non-Malay and non-Muslim cultural activities. PAS president Hadi Awang, chief minister of Terengganu state, refused to grant a permit for a Lunar New Year gathering and dinner at a school on the grounds that it clashed with the fourth Muslim prayer time of Magrib, which usually starts at 7.30pm.
This was tantamount to saying that PAS would not approve of any unIslamic events in the evenings. That irked
non-Muslims, who felt that if liberties such as open-air dinner parties were frowned upon, then the future under such a leadership looked rather bleak. The multi-racial National Front coalition, comprising 14 political parties, currently controls the federal government and 11 states.
But the celebrations on February 6 went ahead as planned after the organisers, which included the federal Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism, obtained a police permit for the gathering. The minister, Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, contended that the state government had no jurisdiction, as the venue - a school - was built with federal funds. He said that his ministry was prepared to go to court as the constitution guaranteed freedom of worship and the practice of different cultures.
To be on the safe side, celebrations began at about 8.40pm, well after the last Muslim prayer time of Isyak. The entertainment consisted of a lantern procession, a Malay traditional dance, some lion and dragon dances and singing by a host of artists from different ethnic backgrounds.
To be fair, the National Front, which is bent on retaking Kelantan and Terengganu, used the gathering as an excuse to drum up support among non-Malays living under the near-puritanical PAS administration. Much to the chagrin of PAS leaders, 40,000 people turned up.
After the event, Mr Hadi again put his foot in his mouth when he declared that the 'open house' concept, a tradition practised for more than half a century in the country, was a western creation.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said that the concept had been accepted by Malaysians and reflected the strong bonds among all ethnic groups in the country. And given that Islam respects other faiths and cultures, he said, this should not be forsaken for political ambitions.
