In PAS 'muktamar', Hadi bids to woo minority voters by vowing fairness to all

SHAH ALAM, Oct 20 — Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang conceded today that PAS remains a party alien to minority communities and pledged to be “fair” to all in a speech delivered at its first “muktamar”, or annual congress, since the general and state elections that saw Perikatan Nasional (PN) sweeping four states despite enjoying barely any support from followers of different faiths.

Addressing thousands of delegates at the assembly, Hadi said ethnic minority distrust of the Islamist party was one of the key factors blocking the party's ambition to wrest federal power, which he suggested was within grasp.

In the six state elections in August, PAS single-handedly won the most seats but failed to make any breakthrough in regions where the spread of ethnic minorities is more evenly distributed.

Still, the Terengganu federal lawmaker made no apology for all the recent statements he made towards the communities that were deemed to be highly incendiary and racially charged, even as he declared fairness, empathy and welfare as the central theme of this year's annual general assembly.

“We did a post-mortem and we found weaknesses and strengths...among the weaknesses were our failure to get voters who are not Muslims and the insufficient number of seats,” he said.

“Thus for this year's muktamar PAS will continue with its trajectory and approach by giving its assurance to all Malaysians, both Muslims and non-Muslims that at both the national and states governed by PAS and PN our lawmakers will make it compulsory to fulfil our electoral win by implementing three important concepts — fair, empathy and welfare,” the PAS president added.

Over the years, the Islamists have dedicated resources to campaigns meant to woo ethnic minority voters in a strategic pivot that was meant to place PAS at the forefront and an outfit capable of ruling after years of assuming a complementary role in the various political coalitions it has been in.

Its strong performance at the 15th general election and the more recent state polls appeared to have bolstered that confidence, as Hadi again boasted about the party's readiness to lead in a speech delivered before PN allies, including former prime minister and PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang (centre) with his Bersatu counterpart Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (centre left), Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (centre right) were seen together at the 69th PAS Muktamar in Shah Alam October 20, 2023. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

The PAS president suggested the PN anchor party, as the "true" Islamic political group, must always "take the driver's seat", an assertion that not only indicated PAS's intent on taking on the highest posts in the federal government should it one day govern, but also a way to reinforce the staunch belief that Islam and the clerical class should supersede others in all matters related to governance.

"PAS must always be the party that leads in the states that we govern together [with PN] in order to achieve a more challenging goal," Hadi said.

"PAS with more than a million members must gather the Islamic scholars, academics and technocrats, including former ministers who are with us, to dig knowledge from the well of Islam that is richly resourceful and practice them in all aspects of state and federal governance...PAS must also be resolved in upholding the principles of Islam," the Marang MP added.

Just how different PAS will act in the post-election period and after today's seemingly diplomatic reach-out to ethnic minority communities remains to be seen. But throughout the speech, Hadi repeated the words that were meant to project inclusiveness like fairness and multicultural acceptance, describing these qualities as a necessity for all of its lawmakers.

Yet Hadi also appeared to have returned to some of the favourite tropes about voters who support the ruling coalition, especially the DAP, as extremists and chauvinists. The PAS president suggested that as an Islamist party, it is permitted to forge political cooperation with ethnic minorities so long as it does not "transgress the principles and boundaries of Islamic struggle."

Critics of the party said the assertion is usually a veiled attempt to suggest that any interpretation of Islam that differs from those taught by PAS is inauthentic and therefore extreme.

"Muslims are prohibited from pledging their ultimate allegiance to non-Muslims, yet they are permitted to engage in 'tahaluf' and other less binding affiliations without transgressing the principles and boundaries of Islamic struggle," he said, using the Arabic term that mean "cooperation" or "consensus"

At a press conference held shortly after he delivered this year's policy speech, Hadi would not admit he had made sweeping attacks against ethnic minority voters because the majority of them support Pakatan Harapan, but reiterated that they were only intended for "extremists", a reference to the DAP and its supporters.

"Those statements were directed at the DAP who adopts an extreme position against Islam. And much of it was misinterpreted by the media," he claimed, but did not elaborate on what was deemed extreme.

"In my speech today I said relations with people who aren't Muslims are never a problem but if they can embrace Western ideology why can't they embrace an ideology that has made history as the government of one of the biggest empires," he added, referring to Islamism.