The Malaysian Insider | Mar 2, 2009

MARCH 2 — How the roles have changed. Ten years ago, the mere mention of the green tide and the advance of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) would have conjured up images of mullahs, a repressive Islamic regime and a threat to the Malaysian way of life.

Thanks to skilful demonising over the decades by the Barisan Nasional government and the mainstream media, Chinese and Indians tossed Pas into the same basket as terrorists and communists. The fear was palpable as recent as the 1999 and 2004 general elections.

But today, the majority of non-Malays do not view all Pas politicians as the bad guys. There is still unease over party’s insistence on introducing hudud laws if it comes to power and the narrow theological views held by some of its ulamaks but gone is the blanket dismissal of Pas leaders as fire and brimstone orators bent on turning Malaysia into a theocracy.

There is four-letter word for this turnaround: Umno.

In the eyes of non-Malays and perhaps even younger Malaysians, the politicians with more question marks next to them are those belonging to the ruling party.

This change in thinking is due to the excesses of ruling party officials, skewed implementation of the New Economic Policy by the Umno-led government and growing belief that the country is more polarised today because of the jaundiced views of Umno politicians.

The statement by Pas spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat yesterday would have helped soften further the image his political party currently enjoys. He said that the term “bumiputera’’ smacks of racism and deprived other races, who share similar rights and possess similar identity cards, of government aid.

“In an election, other races are allowed to cast one vote, so are the bumiputera. I don’t like the (use of the) word bumiputera. What I like is (use of the word) poor, for all races,” he added.

Nik Aziz was asked to respond to a statement last week by the Opposition chief in the Johor state assembly, Dr Boo Cheng Hau, who likened the bumiputera policy in the country with that of the apartheid in South Africa.

He also said that there was nothing to stop non-Muslims from using the word “Allah” but he left it to the federal government to resolve the issue.

In contrast, Umno politicians, especially those from the youth wing, have been speaking in strident tones on issues of race and religion. Those who have had the temerity to challenge the views of the ruling party in public have been branded as anti-monarchy, enemies of the Malay community and disrespectful of the Federal Constitution.

There is little avenue for dialogue or acceptance of a differing point of view. Increasingly, only one view matters — the Umno view.

Umno supporters point out that the party has been under siege since Election 2008 and as a result, members feel that the time has come for Umno to take a hard line position and hold the line against unreasonable demands by non-Malays.

They also argue that this is the silly season where candidates for party positions have to project an uncompromising stand on race and religious issues. But remove some of the layers and most of the Umno politicians are not chauvinist.

The explanation is probably true that Umno politicians have to put on their game face in the run-up to the party polls. But the problem is that Malaysians seem to be tiring of politicians who speak with forked tongues.

They want honesty. They want straight-forwardness. That is where Pas politicians are scoring highly.

Without a doubt, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, Harun Taib, Ustaz Ahmad Awang and others still carry much baggage and questions abound over their ability to run Malaysia but Umno can no longer use them as the bogeymen. The shoe really is on the other foot now.