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COMMENT | Muhyiddin is Malaysia's best prime minister

Mariam Mokhtar
Published 20 Aug 2021, 10:28 am Modified 20 Aug 2021, 10:41 am

COMMENT | Some people compared the fall of Kabul with the chaotic final days of Muhyiddin Yassin's
rule of Malaysia. No! They are wrong.
Try and see it this way. The events in Kabul are more like the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran in
1979. The Iranian revolution, also known as the Islamic revolution that followed, was a resurgence of
Islam, not just in the former Imperial state of Persia, but it also accelerated Islamisation in Malaysia.
The two main protagonists then were Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was alarmed by the rise of PAS, and
Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) leader, who Mahathir engaged to do his
dirty work. The rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward to 21st Century Malaysia, and the Taliban's conquest of Afghanistan will undoubtedly
embolden PAS, which has never abandoned its idea of a syariah-governed Malaysia.
They will be successful, but only if you let them. Instead of moving into the future, we know that PAS,
like the Taliban, has gone backwards in time. We do not need medieval methods of punishment, we just
need proper enforcement of the current laws.
Failed states have increased poverty and extremism, and like Somalia, Afghanistan will soon become a
fertile breeding ground for jihadists. Kelantan is Malaysia's poorest state, and probably its most
conservative.
Live music and films are banned by the PAS administration in Kelantan, but when the Kelantanese are
out of the state, they enjoy what most Malaysians consider normal entertainment, including porn, and
ladies of the night.
On Aug 18, the PAS International Affairs and External Relations Committee chairperson, Mohd Khalil
Abdul Hadi, congratulated the Taliban for "liberating" Afghanistan. He claimed that it was a victory for
the people of Afghanistan from the "clutches of colonialism and inhumane aggression".

Perhaps, Mohd Khalil has not seen the scenes of people clinging to the fuselage of planes departing
from Kabul airport, and plunging to their deaths in their bid to escape. Perhaps, he has not heard of
families being forced to hand over their daughters, some as young as 12 years, as trophy brides for
Taliban fighters. Perhaps he has not heard that some women mayors and doctors are barricading
themselves in their homes, for fear of being executed.
PAS had been flying high in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration of Muhyiddin. Their ministers
continually lurch from one blunder to another. Destroying temples. Threatening another state. Ignoring
environmental concerns. Flouting the strict coronavirus SOP and social distancing rules. Arresting
individuals who criticise the leaders of PAS.
How long will it take the Malays to acknowledge that the country needs a massive cultural and mental
overhaul - a revolution of sorts?
We don't need wannabe clerics posing as politicians and as members of the cabinet. They dictate
policies and the future direction of Malaysia, but their exposure to the real world is limited. They thrive
in their own little bubble of religious doctrine, of preparation for the afterlife and do little about good
governance, improving community relations and national integration.
Yesterday, a friend contacted me to say that some of her friends were upset at Muhyiddin's
resignation. Most of them were visibly upset and cried that Muhyiddin was the best PM Malaysia has
had. Their reasons? Muhyiddin was good at reciting doas (prayers) and they were impressed by the
ease with which he falls to his knees, in supplication to God.

Supplicating and reciting doas is nothing compared with Muslim achievements during the Golden Age
of Islam from the 8th to the 13th centuries. At that time, Islamic leaders encouraged a flourishing of
intellectual development in various scientific and cultural fields. Greeks, Jews, Romans, Indians,
Chinese, Christians and Arabs shared and exchanged ideas.
Today, Malaysia's religious indoctrination has made some Malays more Arabic, in their language, diet,
dress and the way they conduct their lives. Some Malays may have abandoned their own culture and
traditions, to become more like the Arabs, but at the same time, many Malays try and convert the
Orang Asli into becoming Muslims. As a convert, the Orang Asli are "masuk Melayu" and with the
passage of time, the Orang Asli will lose their language, beliefs, tribal customs and will not be allowed
to consume the wild boar, or touch dogs.
The Malays who think, that a Malay-and-Muslim-only led government is how Malaysia should be run,
need to have a serious rethink. Open their minds. Read a bit more, besides the Quran. Engage with
people of other races and religions on matters which commonly affect them. Focus on pertinent issues,
instead of just preparing for the afterlife. And ask why Muslims are risking their lives crossing
continents and seas, trying to seek asylum in the West.
Mohd Khalil, the son of PAS president, Hadi Awang, may not know why the Americans invaded
Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban were harbouring terrorists.
Where people of other nations have a shared identity, most of our Malay leaders and members of the
ulama emphasise our differences more than our similarities. Without unity, and a shared identity, how
can we proceed with nation-building? The irony is that Mohd Khalil's article in Harakah ended with the
words, "Islam Strengthens Unity."
As a nation, we are hopelessly divided on many issues, but we can at least agree on one - which is to
remove PAS at the ballot box in GE15.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and
president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the
views of Malaysiakini.

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