PAS : It's a bird, it's a plane...it's a boomerang!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen ! Tuan Guru Nik Aziz is fuming and I don't blame him. Not one bit. As PAS's Murshidul Am, he has the right to say it. In general terms - "Nasha, you are fired!!!!" ala Donald Trump of "The Apprentice".

55th PAS muktamar is over but it ain't over for the UG (Unity Government) proponents. Although the delegates has clearly sent the message across, the top 2 leaders (read Hadi Awang and Nasharuddin) has taken a different view. Simply put, they are for Unity Government.

They can call it whatever names they want. Basically it is unity government. Now that Hadi Awang is overseas, Nasharuddin has re-ignite the issue when he welcomed Najib's statement for PAS and UMNO to sit down together.

The PAS groundswell against the UG is building up and like the magma, it will erupts. One newspaper says it Nik's Fury. Across blogs supporting PAS, there are intense discussion on the matter. Some say it's Hadi and Nasha's personal opinions and some say it's strategy. I call it crap...
Now, let's get a little bit serious, shall we? Whatever definiton given by Hadi & gang on UG, PAS should ask themselves :-

1. Why UMNO choose this particular time to talk about UG? Why after BN gets rubbed in GE12 then the idea of UG materialise?
2. Why is UG offered to PAS only? Is this an exclusive offer to PAS?
   
3. Did UMNO inform their BN components on the UG? What are their feedback?
4. Why is the preliminary talk done in hush-hush manner? Are the top leadership of the parties involved informed?
5. What is the purpose of UG? To maintain UMNO's grip on power? To abolish opposition?
6. What is the aim of UG? Is it for the benefit of all Malaysians, regardless of religion, reace or creed?
7. What assurance does PAS have that this UG is genuine? Will PAS be played out again? Is it a ploy to segregate PAS from DAP/PKR?

The spinmasters are working overtime to potray that UG is necessary now. Awani Agenda focus on UG on 17th June 2009 but their focus has been narrowed down to co-operation between the supporters of different political parties.

Nobisha summed up the program as follows :-

1. Political parties should not be "competing" in conflicts nor should they be "avoiding". Rather the political parties shouls adapt the "collaborating" towards solution;
2. The panelists looks at Mustapha Ali's "conditional agreement" of including PKR/DAP in the proposed UG talks with Shahidan Kassim saying that both parties should be finding reasons to be friends;
3. Political parties should work on "co-operation" between different parties and to leave "confrontational politics". This can be initiated by joint events between political parties;

I look at the points given in Awani agenda as vain. Why, after 50 years, only UMNO decided to abandon their concept of competing? When UMNO is strong, did UMNO ever think of "colloborating"? Did UMNO think of "accomodating" others? What UMNO thinks, at that time, is how to enrich themselves and how to "eliminate" the opposition parties. Having said that, on what grounds is UMNO coming in throwing the idea of "colloborating"?

On conditional agreements posed forward by Mustapha Ali. The extra conditions are merely cosmetic damage control. Mustapha Ali, being one of the major proponents of UG, realised that Nik's fury is boundless and the best way to pacify the PAS old wise man is to apply damage control. At least until Hadi Awang returns home from abroad. The other reason for the extra conditions is to calm both PKR and DAP, untuil Hadi Awang can explain to PKR/DAP leadership on 22nd June 2009.

Shahidan diverts the UG to so-operation at lower levels. The first and basic question is who started it? Who started to withdraw scholarships and aids to those who are not aligned to UMNO? Who started to replace the imams and community leaders with UMNO heads and macais? Who started them all? The answer is not far...it is UMNO.

No doubt, history has records of UG in UK. That was during the world war when the government sees it fit to combine the strength and talent to face common external enemies. Malaysia, at one stage, also practise UG when BN was first formed. However, UMNO use the concept to tighten their stranglehold, taking Kelantan from PAS, reducing Gerakan into 3rd rate party when they lose rection for Penang, destroying the once strong PPP in Perak. So, which form of UG is UMNO talking? Is it confine to giving vitamins to the ailing UMNO so that they can strangle PAS again?

Why not PKR and why not DAP? Both UMNO and PAS are rural based parties where their base platforms are from rural areas. The difference is that UMNO is on nationalistic approach whilst PAS is working on spiritual aspects. That's the main difference between UMNO and PAS. From thereon, PKR and DAP are urban based parties. PKR is actually a splinter group of UMNO, strengthened by multi race members and filled up with professionals and various political background. DAP is another urban based party. So, it is not surprising for UMNO to approach PAS because both are fighting tooth and nail for the rural support. PAS is "parti kampung" where the people place spiritual acceptance higher than materialistic success ie where the success or failure is based on materialistic scale.

UMNO realised that they have abandon the rural folks when their leaders embrace cosmopolitan way of life, flashing brand new cars and showing off diamond and gold clad wives. To win back the rural support, UMNO has to don sheep clothings yet again, wearing skullcaps to religous activities and talking about the betterment of rural folks. That approach may work in the 60's , 70's and the 80's. Now, rural folks are more sophisticated than that. Now rural folks take kain pelikats, kiss surah yassin give by UMNO, ride new bicycles donated by the putris but when it comes to voting, they vote for "panadol".

UMNO is running out of options. Their young leaders are out of touch with the people. KJ never grow up with the kampong guys, playing football in the padi fields, climbing rambutan trees, stoning mangoes. Some UMNO youth leaders are too engrossed in piling wealth. They may be good leaders and good visionaries but their priorities is being rich so that they can flaunt their wealth in exchange of power and influence. That's what separates UMNO rom PAS youth leaders. PAS youth are from the ground, volunteers who will spring into action because they placed spiritual winnings above worldy wealth.

Some may say that UG may work. Hadi, Nasha, Mustapha Ali may pray for UG but they must also realise that PAS victories in 2008 is partially aided by DAP and the non-Muslims. Are they prepared to turn their backs on the supporters who work hard for PAS's victories for their own selfish gains? If they keep on harping to get BN to dissolve Perak state assembly, are they willing to dissolve Kedah, Kelantan if they proceed with UG talk?

PAS must realise that many external factors propel PR to win big in 2008. If Hadi, Nasha and Mustapha continue dreaming UG, they may be actually facing defeat and facing the prospect of being voted out of PAS. Are they willing? If that happen, do they think UMNO will accept them? PAS must see and study how UMNO treated Nakhaie Awang, former PAS deputy President...how UMNO treated Izam, former PKR youth leader. And what about those dozens of PKR members who migrated to UMNO? Where are they now? They are now no better than carpet sweepers, sweeping UMNO's dirt and washing dirty linen in public...

PAS is flying high now..and PAS better abandon any thoughts of UG with UMNO unless they are willing to receive deadly boomerang....I have said what I want to say...What about you?

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are... Read More