The unity of the Malays has been greatly jeopardised by the Malays involving themselves in various political groups. When the Malays started to join various political groups, they began to become disunited. Malays are highly emotional and sensitive people. Some Malays regard the political groups that they belong to similar to religion. Many Malays equate joining PAS to embracing Islam and rejecting PAS to denying Islam. PAS in reality is only a political party but to some Malays they regard PAS as Islam and Islam as PAS. Leaders of PAS have misled many Malays into believing that to join PAS means to embrace Islam and not to join PAS means to reject Islam. Leaders of PAS have been propagating this idea since the day PAS was established in Malaysia and the idea was loudly proclaimed when Dato’ Haji Hadi joined PAS. Some Malays tend to believe that whatever said by the PAS leaders are plain truth and as a result they are ready to live and to die for PAS. When Dato’ Haji Hadi made the infamous Fatwa known as Fatwa Haji Hadi which was supported by the leaders of PAS who declared that to join UMNO will make a person Kafir. There were Malays in Kelantan and Terengganu particularly who broke their marital and family relationships because their spouse or family were UMNO members. Malays are highly sensitive about their race and religion and they are willing to do anything in order to safeguard their race and religion. Those Malays who are more sensitive about safeguarding the interest of their race more than Islam will join UMNO and those Malays who are more sensitive about safeguarding the interest of their religion more than their race will join PAS. Malays who join UMNO believe that they are Muslims but Malays who join PAS believe that only those who join PAS are Muslims and those who join other parties particularly UMNO are Kafir. PAS is not willing to join Barisan Nasional simply because UMNO is with Barisan Nasional and Pas is willing to join Pakatan Rakyat (PR) because UMNO is not in that coalition. The enmity between PAS and UMNO has been intensifying for more than 50 years and until now it does not seem to end and the solution to the problem remains unclear to the Malays leaders. (more…)
