JULY 29 — One of the most persistent misunderstandings in Malaysian politics is the claim that criticism of PAS under Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang stems from a fear of Islam. It does not.
Malaysia is a deeply religious country. Islam is the religion of the Federation and has shaped the nation’s constitutional identity, institutions and public life since independence.
Millions of Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, recognise Islam as an integral part of the country’s moral and historical foundations.
The issue, therefore, is not Islam.
The issue is politics.
More specifically, it is whether Hadi-led PAS has offered Malaysians a sufficiently broad and convincing political vision capable of governing a diverse, complex and economically competitive nation.
Many Malaysians no longer find the debate difficult because they believe they already understand the party’s governing philosophy.
After decades of observing PAS in Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis through various periods of influence, voters have accumulated enough experience to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses for themselves.
This is why the central issue is not fear. It is familiarity.
Political parties evolve by persuading new constituencies that they have learned, adapted and expanded their appeal.
Successful parties continuously demonstrate intellectual renewal, policy innovation and administrative competence.
Critics argue that Hadi-led PAS has struggled to make that transition.
Its public discourse continues to revolve around themes of Malay-Muslim solidarity, religious legitimacy and identity politics. While these themes resonate strongly with a significant segment of Malay voters, they often leave unanswered many of the practical questions confronting modern Malaysia.
How should Malaysia accelerate artificial intelligence adoption?
How should the country compete with Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia for high-value investments?
How should wages be raised without undermining competitiveness?
How should federal-state relations be strengthened while preserving constitutional balance?
How should Malaysia attract global talent while retaining its own?
These questions increasingly dominate the concerns of younger Malaysians regardless of ethnicity.
Political legitimacy today depends not only on moral conviction but also on administrative performance.
The challenge confronting PAS is therefore much larger than electoral success. Winning elections is one thing. Governing an increasingly sophisticated economy is another.
This partly explains why apprehension toward Hadi-led PAS is often misunderstood abroad. Foreign investors, diplomats and regional observers are generally less interested in theological debates than in policy predictability, institutional stability and economic governance.
Markets reward certainty.
Businesses invest where policies remain consistent.
International partners seek governments capable of balancing domestic priorities with international obligations.
These are governance questions rather than religious ones.
Within Malaysia itself, many Muslims also raise similar concerns. Their questions are seldom about Islam but about implementation, priorities and national administration.
Islam has always contained rich traditions of scholarship, commerce, scientific inquiry and ethical governance. Many Muslim-majority countries interpret these traditions differently according to their own constitutional and historical circumstances.
Consequently, disagreement with a particular political interpretation of Islam should never be mistaken as disagreement with Islam itself.
The distinction matters enormously.
Confusing religion with partisan politics narrows democratic debate and unfairly places ordinary believers into political contests they may not fully share.
Equally, it prevents political parties from being assessed by the same standards expected of every democratic organisation: competence, accountability, transparency and effectiveness.
Like every political party, PAS should be evaluated on its policies, governance record, economic management, social cohesion and constitutional commitment.
Such scrutiny is neither anti-Islam nor anti-Malay.
It is simply democratic accountability.
Ultimately, Malaysia’s future will not be secured merely by asking who speaks most passionately about identity. It will be determined by who governs most competently for all Malaysians.
That is why the debate surrounding Hadi-led PAS is not fundamentally about religion.
It is about whether the party can convince a diverse nation that it offers a comprehensive vision for the twenty-first century—one that extends beyond identity politics to embrace economic transformation, institutional excellence, technological innovation and national unity.
Until that broader vision is more clearly articulated, many Malaysians are unlikely to oppose Hadi-led PAS because they fear Islam.
Rather, they will remain unconvinced because they are still waiting to see a governing philosophy that addresses the full complexity of modern Malaysia.
* Phar Kim Beng is a professor of Asean Studies and a director at the Institute of International and Asean Studies, International Islamic University Malaysia.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
