PAS Youth today said that Malaysia’s plural society meant that non-Malays would be kingmakers in certain parliamentary seats during elections, a reality from which the party could not escape.
The wing’s chief, Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden, said the challenge was to convince the non-Muslim electorate that Islam was fair to all.
“(We need to convince the non-Malays) that an Islam-centric leadership would not oppress, but protect (their rights), just as we defend (the rights of) Muslims,” he said when officiating the PAS Youth muktamar here.
He also said that Islam commands its adherents to treat non-Muslims well and fairly, and that PAS Youth must therefore uphold such principles.
He said PAS-led states adopt such principles by allocating funds for vernacular schools and preserving houses of worship, among others.
“They (the non-Muslim community) live in peace and are safe. There is no racial discord or enmity.”
He added that the “enemies of Islam” would always try to instil fear in non-Muslims by claiming that non-Muslims would be forced to wear headscarves and their houses of worship destroyed under PAS rule.
He said the party must counter such propaganda by implementing welfare initiatives for all races, holding dialogues, and visiting the communities during festive seasons.
Afnan said such an approach would prove to the people that PAS leaders are open, friendly, and attentive.
“We do not just want their votes, we want their trust. We want them to believe that their future under PAS will be peaceful, prosperous and fair.”
Afnan’s comments on wooing non-Malay voters were similar to those made by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man at the party’s previous muktamar.
Tuan Ibrahim had spoken of a need for a paradigm shift in PAS Youth, which he said should focus on wooing the support of the non-Malays so that the party could helm the federal government.
Tuan Ibrahim said the party must admit its weakness, namely its lack of support in non-Malay areas, the southern parts of the peninsula, as well as Sabah and Sarawak.
