No matter what PAS does, it can never win over non-Malay voters

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PAS is trying to win over the minds and hearts of non-Malays and non-Muslims.

The Islamist party, in its 70th Annual Muktamar (convention) held last week, passed a motion that would amend its constitution to allow non-Muslims to become associate members, except atheists. (Seriously, why would atheists want to join PAS?) The motion was unanimously approved by all delegates who attended the annual convention.

Since its establishment, PAS has been catering to non-Muslims through its Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (DHPP), which will now be elevated to become a party wing following the amendment to accept non-Muslim associate members. According to party secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, the DHPP wing will be allowed to vote and be elected for positions within the wing.

Additionally, party leaders also took the opportunity during their participation in the muktamar to suggest ways on how the party can woo non-Malays.

PAS Youth Chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden has urged the wing’s members to learn Mandarin and Tamil to help them engage with non-Malays and convey to them the party’s efforts to increase their support.

Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man suggested that PAS Youth organise trips for non-Muslims to PAS-controlled states — Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu — so they could see how the party is administering these states, and relations between non-Malays and Malays there.

Some leaders also came up with a “galaxy brain” take on how to woo non-Malays, notably Selangor PAS Youth secretary Aubidullah Fahim Ibrahim who suggested that party members marry non-Malays to increase support for the Islamic party.

“A mixed marriage would not just be able to secure one vote, but hundreds from the non-Malay community,” Free Malaysia Today quoted him as saying in the muktamar. What an absurd idea. Marrying non-Malays to woo them into voting PAS? How would this tactic even work?

The idea was panned heavily by the public, and Aubidullah eventually retracted his suggestion by saying that he was merely joking. Sure, Jan.

We need non-Malays' votes so badly

PAS’ move in opening up the party to non-Muslims and the voter engagement strategies suggested by its leaders are driven by one thing: Perikatan Nasional needs non-Malay support to take over Putrajaya.

The Malay support for PAS-dominated Perikatan Nasional has plateaued. The opposition coalition is enjoying solid, uncompromising support from the Malay voter base. Some might say that this is not exactly the case following the coalition’s loss in last month’s by-election at the overwhelmingly Malay Nenggiri state seat in Kelantan.

However, it needs to be said to PN’s sceptics: Do not let Umno’s win in Nenggiri convince you that PN is beginning to bleed Malay support. This is unlikely to happen, for now.

With Malay support for PN at its peak, the coalition is now setting its sights on the non-Malay voters. After all, the coalition can't make inroads into heavily mixed seats and predominantly non-Malay seats without amassing the Indians’ and Chinese votes.

There is no doubt that the overwhelmingly right-wing Malay coalition has been struggling to woo these voters to back them, thanks to the utter failure of PN’s diversity tokens Gerakan, Bersatu associate wing, and DHPP in winning over these voters.

After all, why would non-Malays and non-Muslims vote for a backward, misogynistic, bigoted, moral-policing-obsessed PAS and PN?

Has PAS forgotten how the whole country lashed out at a Terengganu executive councillor from the party threw a fit that two Malay female divers participated in SUKMA 2024 in Sarawak, even though female Muslim athletes were barred from participating in diving and gymnastic sports over attire years ago over attire issues?

While it needs to be pointed out that the ban only applies to female Muslims, let us not forget that PAS-controlled states have been imposing their Islamist policies on non-Muslims in these states as well - with notable examples being the ban on 4D gaming shops and imposing fines on female business owners for wearing shorts.

PAS had repeatedly stated that its hardline policies would not affect the livelihood of the non-Muslims, which is nothing but blatant lies.

Given the party’s penchant for lying on this matter, why wouldn’t non-Malays and non-Muslims be worried that their girls and women will be subjected to similar restrictions with sports attire being made an issue?

Why wouldn’t non-Muslim women and girls be worried that a PAS-controlled government would police what they wear in public in a Talibanistic fashion and impose fines on them for “indecent attire”?

Let us not forget how the party’s president Abdul Hadi Awang accused non-Malays and non-Muslims of being “the root of corruption” as he claimed that a majority of them are involved in corruption.

One would have to wonder how Hadi, who has a Chinese daughter-in-law, would make such atrocious claims about the non-Malays. To date, Hadi has yet to apologise for such a racist claim.

Meanwhile, DHPP, instead of rebuking Hadi, defended him by saying that the Marang MP “was misunderstood”. What utter rubbish. Which non-Malay voter, in their right mind, would embrace and lend support for DHPP’s candidates after seeing how the group defended Hadi?

Let us also not forget about PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, who said that Pakatan Harapan was an agent of Jews and Christians who were out to colonise Malaysia while campaigning during the 15th general elections.

How can PAS expect Christians to vote for it and PN when they are subjected to bigoted conspiracy theories that they are out there to control Malaysia?

Let us not forget that ever since PN became the opposition, it has been constantly stoking fear and anger of the conservative Malay Muslims towards the Madani government that it is not Malay Muslim enough and that it is controlled by DAP.

Open your eyes, PAS

PAS needs to come to terms that its politics, as well as PN, are turning off the minority communities towards them. Unfortunately, both sides are unlikely to recognize their faults at this moment and to be frank, devoid of the right ideas and strategies to woo these voters.

While it is true that a small percentage of non-Malay voters have been throwing their support to PN in last year’s state elections and recent by-elections, this voting pattern is likely motivated by the communities' unhappiness with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and PH for seemingly taking their votes for granted as well as “unpopular” government policies and high cost of living.

Not because they believe in PAS and PN.

Also, non-Malays and non-Muslim voters are not naive and can “sniff’’ the real agenda behind PAS’ attempt to woo them.

They are well aware that PAS would promise them that their politics won't affect the non-Muslims, only to ditch these very promises and violate their constitutional and human rights with Taliban-like policies when they come into power.

The question that we have to ask PAS is this: Are they aware of how phoney their outreach to non-Malays and non-Muslims is?

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