Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Fearing to break PAS’s fealty oath, Nash seeks being sacked
- Factories retrenching as output slips, minimum wage looms
- GE 13: It’s Elvis against Napoleon
- S’gor still safe for Pakatan, say analysts
- Sabah BN will win seats ‘by default’
- ESQUIRE: Raja Petra Kamarudin
- What’s keeping Malaysia’s Opposition together?
| Fearing to break PAS’s fealty oath, Nash seeks being sacked Posted: 12 Oct 2012 01:15 PM PDT Sources say he is seen to be driving a bigger wedge between the two parties by flagrantly ignoring PAS's offical stand to set aside all talk of forming an Islamic state and focus on working together with the secular DAP to boost the PR pact's chance to take federal power at the 13th general election due soon. Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider  Nasharuddin is seen as deliberately pitting PAS and DAP leaders against each other. — File pictures Fearing the consequences of being an oathbreaker, PAS lawmaker Nasharuddin Mat Isa is deliberately stirring animosity with DAP allies to force his Islamist party to expel him from its ranks, sources told The Malaysian Insider. The Bachok MP is suspected to be the chief instigator of quarrels between the two Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners over their mutual disagreement in turning Malaysia into a full-blown Islamic state and introduce Islamic criminal laws nationwide. Sources say he is seen to be driving a bigger wedge between the two parties by flagrantly ignoring PAS's offical stand to set aside all talk of forming an Islamic state and focus on working together with the secular DAP to boost the PR pact's chance to take federal power at the 13th general election due soon. "If we see, lately, Nasha has been aggressively pitting PAS and DAP leaders against each other so that Pakatan Rakyat splits. He does all this with the purpose that PAS will sack him and not him leaving PAS. "Leaving PAS means going against bai'ah, and this may be the main reason why he is not leaving PAS voluntarily," a senior PAS leader told The Malaysian Insider under condition of anonymity. Bai'ah is an Arabic term meaning an oath of allegiance that Muslims take to show their loyalty and commitment to their Islamic cause. Muslims believe that those who break bai'ah will suffer divine punishment.  Husam questioned Nasharuddin's sincerity in championing hudud. Nasharuddin did not respond to The Malaysian Insider despite repeated queries. The PAS-DAP spat had been widely reported in the mainstream media and was seen to strain ties between the two opposition allies at a crucial time in the run-up to the intense battle for Putrajaya. But political analyst Prof Datuk Mohamad Abu Bakar told The Malaysian Insider that whatever happens to Nasharuddin will not greatly impact support for PAS. "To me, what is being done by Nasha is more towards strengthening Umno's people who are already in Umno," said the Universiti Malaya (UM) lecturer, referring to the pint-sized lawmaker by his popular moniker in Malay. He said that even if Nasharuddin quit PAS for Umno, the politician would only likely suffer the fate of other former PAS leaders such as former president Datuk Mohd Asri Muda and former deputy president Nakhaie Ahmad. "If Nasha joins Umno, he will not gain the full trust from that party because everyone knows his heart and soul is with PAS," the university don said, citing former Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Hasan Ali as an example. Even after being sacked from PAS, Hasan was not welcomed to join Umno but was instead forced to set up Jalur Tiga (Jati), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that fights for Islam, Malays and the royal institution. PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa questioned Nasharuddin's sincerity in championing hudud — the controversial Islamic penal code. "Previously, when trying to convince PAS to join Umno to form a united government, Ustaz Nasha told PAS that Pak Lah wanted to give three ministerial seats if PAS agreed to be with Umno.  Khalid said Nashruddin's statements are clearly intended to benefit BN and create tension between PR parties. In a mocking tone, Husam said that if Umno were truly sincere in having talks with PAS, Nasharuddin should be allowed to stand in the Bachok parliamentary seat unchallenged in the next general election and win.
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| Factories retrenching as output slips, minimum wage looms Posted: 11 Oct 2012 01:38 PM PDT
Lee Wel Lian, The Malaysian Insider Manufacturers in Malaysia are shedding workers due to uncertainty over the global economy and the impending start of minimum wage next year, says RHB Research Institute. RHB said in a report yesterday that in line with a slowdown in sales, the manufacturers retrenched 4,609 workers in August compared to a recruitment of 441 workers in July. Unemployment was 3.1 per cent in July, with an estimated two million foreign workers employed in the country. "In line with the slowdown in YoY (year-on-year) sales, manufacturers were cautious and they retrenched some workers in August," said RHB. "This was due to weakness in the global economy and compounded by the impending implementation of the minimum wage policy in early 2013." The research house warned that manufacturers could retrench more workers if the economic situation deteriorates as productivity gains — which is measured by sales per employee — slowed to 0.7 per cent in August from 4.3 per cent in July and 5.8 per cent in June. It noted that wages per employee rose 4.6 per cent in August compared with 3.2 per cent in July and just one per cent in June. RHB said however that stripping out seasonal factors and measured on a three-month moving average basis, wages per employee edged lower to 2.9 per cent year-on-year during the month, from 4.3 per cent in July which indicated that wage pressure is gradually dissipating after trending up in the first five months of the year. "However, it could trend up again, on the back of an implementation of the minimum wage policy, which will take effect in 6-12 months, depending on the industry, from the date the Minimum Wage Order was gazetted on July 16," said RHB. The Najib administration had pushed for the introduction of minimum wage in a bid to lift salaries as part of efforts to make Malaysia a high-income nation. Proponents of minimum wage say that it would make businesses and manufacturers more efficient and move them up the value chain by investing in high technology and more skills training rather than relying on cheap labour as in the past. Critics however say that pay should be based on worker productivity and be flexible enough to respond to market conditions or it could otherwise result in job losses. Manufacturing output slipped for the first time since September 2009 by 1.8 per cent year-on-year in August, after picking up to 6.0 per cent in July. Manufacturing sales growth slowed to 1.8 per cent year-on-year in August, after moderating to 4.8 per cent in July, and compared with 6.3 per cent in June. "This was in line with a drop in manufacturing production and exports of manufactured goods during the month, suggesting that the unabated weakness in the US and eurozone economies are crimping demand for the country's exports of manufactured goods," said RHB.
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| GE 13: It’s Elvis against Napoleon Posted: 11 Oct 2012 01:35 PM PDT But can voters freely choose between the rocker and the conqueror? Stanley Koh, FMT It now looks likely that the prolonged wait for the 13th general election will stretch into next year. Then again, to go by the latest rumour, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak may yet spring a surprise and call it next month. It does not seem to matter to the power that holds the card that so many of us are fighting an election fever that comes and goes and then comes again. Be that as it may, our immediate focus ought to fall on electoral reforms and the role of the Election Commission (EC) in ensuring a free and fair election. A Concert Bersih will be held tomorrow (this Saturday) at Stadium Kelana Jaya, and this will be followed on Nov 3 by a Pakatan Rakyat gathering in Seremban. Originally, this rally was planned to take place at either the Bukit Jalil National Stadium or the Merdeka Stadium. Both are aimed at heightening public awareness of the need for fair elections. The 13th general election will be crucial to the future of both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat and to the destiny of the nation. Pakatan and its supporters have predicted that the conduct of the polls will be the "dirtiest" that the nation has experienced since its independence. BN, perhaps betraying its nervousness, calls it a "do-or-die" battle. But as colourful languages go, nothing matches what I heard from a keen political observer. "It will be like a battle between Napoleon Bonaparte and Elvis Presley," he said. Noticing my puzzled look, he explained that Napoleon regarded power like a mistress, as reflected in a famous quotation in which he declared that no conqueror would allow anyone to take from him a conquest he had worked hard to keep. As for the King of Rock and Roll, my friend reminded me about "It's Now or Never", one of his most memorable recordings. I had to agree with him. BN must have got so used to embracing power that it probably would not be able to sleep without it. And for Pakatan's ageing leaders, it is truly now or never. In between are the rest of us, holding on to the hope that the EC will carry out its function responsibly and professionally. Unfortunately, many observers who are familiar with the EC's history do not see it as being impartial or even independent. Bias and prejudice "The opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang, has long accused the EC of consulting with the ruling regime in the electoral constituency delineation process," said a report released by the PKR president in September 2006. "In fact, for the 2002 delineation [of electoral districts], the EC chairman openly admitted that he had actually met the prime minister at the start of the process." Non-partisan advocates for free and fair elections have long alleged bias and prejudice on the part of the EC, pointing to its tacit acceptance of such rulings as the ban on public rallies and BN's control of the mass media. "Doubts have long been expressed about the fairness, if not the freedom, of elections in Malaysia and these seem to be increasing," wrote Associate Professor Lim Hong Hai in 2005 in a paper entitled "Making the System Work: Election Commission". "Criticisms have been made by opposition leaders and not just by scholars of both the extant electoral system and EC's past performances in administering it."
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| S’gor still safe for Pakatan, say analysts Posted: 10 Oct 2012 06:57 PM PDT They see the spat over Azmin as being irrelevant to voter sentiment. Anisah Shukry, FMT The current infighting among PKR leaders over Selangor is unlikely to erode Pakatan Rakyat's chances of holding on to the country's richest state, according to political analysts. "Selangor voters are quite firm in their support for Pakatan and the pattern is not expected to change," Dr Jayum A Jawan of UKM told FMT. "While the infighting could affect its performance in Selangor in the next general election, I do not expect Pakatan Rakyat to do badly." He said voters were likely to view the infighting as a "family squabble" that could easily be resolved rather than a serious sign of things gone awry in the opposition pact. Centre for Policy Initiatives director Lim Teck Ghee agreed with Jayum. "What we can see is of course the mainstream media playing it up for all it is worth," he said. "Unfortunately, some in the Internet media are also making a mountain out of a molehill." The media frenzy over the infighting started after Sinar Harian quoted PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali as saying that Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim would become federal minister should Pakatan win the next general election. Khalid and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar have dismissed the statement as Azmin's personal opinion, but his remarks have triggered speculation that he is eyeing Khalid's job. Khalid's personal assistant, Faekah Husin, has criticised Azmin more directly, questioning his right to make an announcement on a matter that only Pakatan's top tier could decide. This provoked PKR's election director for Selangor, Borhan Aman Shah, to call for her sacking. But both Jayum and Lim said the feud could easily be resolved in a matter of days. "In Selangor, the key issues are not of leaders' fighting, but of the previous mismanagement of the state, the water issue, corruption, and a better quality of life," said Lim. No better alternative As such, according to both Lim and Jawan, Pakatan would be denied another term only if Selangor voters had a better alternative to turn to. They said Barisan Nasional had yet to prove that it could be that alternative. "If BN wins Selangor again, it will go back to the old system of cronyism, close tenders, select partners and the like," said Lim. "Unless BN can put down in writing the basic changes it is going to make, I am not in support of it and I believe that Selangor voters share my sentiment." Lim said that BN must own up to the wrongs it had done during its days of power in Selangor and then tell the people what it would do to correct itself. "For example, the water issue was totally mismanaged by the previous Selangor government," he said. "It was better handled in Penang, where they allowed for the model of privatisation which served the interests of the state and the consumers rather than the company." Jayum described Selangor BN as "loud" without having any "concrete plan". "BN does not need to attack the opposition; it just has to tell the voters what it wants to do, and how it will do better if it were to win Selangor," he said. "Based on the information I've gathered from the ground, BN is doing badly." Jayum said BN had neglected "practical politics" in favour of attacking personalities in Pakatan and trying to discredit the current administration's water management. "BN thinks it is making things difficult for PR with regard to the water issue, but actually it is just making things difficult for the end users, which are the people of Selangor. "It wants to discredit PR, but this will backfire. People will say BN leaders have a small heart." Lim said Pakatan had done enough to keep the people of Selangor happy and the votes coming in. "Pakatan has cut down on corruption, increased efficiency of services in the state, been able to balance the budget of the state, and tackle major problems in the state such as the water issue." He noted that Pakatan faced some difficulty in resolving certain issues, but said this was because of lack of cooperation from the federal government. "Of course it is difficult for them to get such cooperation as they are the opposition."
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| Sabah BN will win seats ‘by default’ Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:51 PM PDT Some analysts in Sabah believe that as many as 20 seats, including five or six parliamentary seats, could go to BN as a result of a split in opposition votes. Luke Rintod, FMT Sabah is set to see multi-cornered fights in most areas in the coming general election. This means that the ruling Barisan Nasional may have the edge. At this stage, observers can conclude that the opposition parties in Sabah are giving Umno-led BN a "free advantage" to retain a majority of the Sabah seats. At stake in Sabah are 26 parliamentary seats, including one in Labuan, and 60 state seats. Sabah chairman of State Reform Party (STAR), Jeffrey Kitingan, said recently that his party is all but ready to announce the seats – parliamentary and state – it will contest. "We can announce the seats shortly," he said confidently to reporters when asked how many seats STAR will contest in Sabah. Jeffrey in the past had talked about contesting in more than half of the 60 state seats. He had even at one stage indicated that STAR may go the whole hog and contest in all 26 parliamentary and 60 state seats. But reality seems to have set in. Asked if STAR had reconciled overlapping claims on seats with other opposition parties – Pakatan Rakyat and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) – Jeffrey refused to divulge further. "Wait for another day," he said. He also reiterated that STAR had received the green light from the Election Commission (EC) to contest in Sabah in the coming polls. STAR list ready The Sarawak-based STAR's eligibility to stand in Sabah under its symbol has attracted much speculation even though the party had done so in Kota Marudu years back. STAR's Sabah chapter secretary, Guandee Kohoi, said that EC Sabah director, Idrus Ismail, in a meeting with Jeffrey, himself and Edward Linggu (STAR information chief) had given them assurance that STAR indeed could field candidates in Sabah. "STAR is already on the latest list of political parties EC gave us. Even the name of STAR has been amended and does not state the word Sarawak anymore but just State Reform Party. "The latest list also contains the re-named party, Sarawak Worker's Party' [SWP], which was previously Sabah-based Sabah People's Front [SPF]," Kohoi said. Meanwhile, the number of STAR's potential candidates has been growing steadily and in many places, they are already clear frontrunners. At least half a dozen graduate teachers aligned to STAR have so far resigned from their posts, and a few other civil servants are said to be set to retire early to prepare to be the candidates. STAR Youth leader, Hasmin Azroy Abdulah, is among the teachers who have resigned. He could be STAR's candidate for Tenom parliamentary seat or one of the state seats in the constituency. Another teacher who has also resigned is Maklin Masiau. He is poised to be STAR's candidate for poverty-stricken Pitas state seat in the north. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is also eyeing Pitas. Pinus Gondili is another teacher who quit his job and is slated to contest under STAR in Labuk. He is certain to fight incumbent Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice-president, Michael Asang, after PBS recently confirmed Asang would be retained. PKR is also eyeing Labuk, making it one of those many seats in Sabah that are likely to see four-cornered fights between BN and the opposition trio – STAR, Pakatan and SAPP. Cunning SAPP Meanwhile, both STAR and SAPP leaders are saying publicly, at least, that they would not want to face each other where their respective "big guns" are contesting. That would mean SAPP would not put up a candidate against Jeffrey and his right-hand men. But there is a big question mark as Inanam, the seat of Jeffrey's senior deputy Daniel John Jambun, is being eyed by SAPP through its deputy president Eric Majimbun who is Sepanggar MP. The cunning SAPP has previously suggested that all should respect the status quo of the incumbents. Soon after getting others to "respect" it, SAPP moved to claim Inanam. "The question is, if SAPP is adamant on taking both Inanam and Sepanggar, then where will Jambun contest?" asked a STAR supporter in Inanam recently. Jambun had in 2008 contested under PKR ticket and garnered a respectable 4,293 votes against DAP's 2,864. The eventual winner was BN-PBS Johnny Goh who obtained 5,979 votes. Karambunai is another state seat under Sepanggar, but it is possible that SAPP president Yong Teck Lee would want to stand there this time as he has scores of Malay supporters in this constituency. Other possible places for Yong are his former seat Likas near here or Lahad Datu, his hometown in the east coast. Yong stood in the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election in November 2010 and lost badly, finishing last with only 2,031 votes behind PKR-imported candidate Ansari Abdullah's 3,414 and eventual winner BN-PBS Linda Tsen who received 9,773. SAPP could be fielding its secretary-general Richard Yong in the Tanjung Aru mixed state seat where another of Jeffrey's deputy, Ahmad Sah Sahari, is keen. It is understood that STAR is prepared to let SAPP take Tanjung Aru. But Pakatan – maybe through DAP – is also eyeing the seat. Split opposition votes The murky waters of Sabah's politics is set to get murkier as opposition leaders fail to appreciate the importance of reconciling their differences and overlapping claims of strength. Some analysts have said that this time as many as 20 seats, including five or six parliamentary seats, could go to BN by default as a result of a split in opposition votes. One analyst cited Kadamaian where if the three opposition parties – STAR, Pakatan and SAPP – put up their respective candidates, they could garner combined votes of around 6,000, leaving a BN candidate way behind with only about 3,500 votes. But BN would still win because of the "strategic" split in the opposition camps. He said a similar situation was also likely in adjacent Tempasuk state seat. The combined votes of the opposition could outnumber BN's but because of the split, BN will retain Tempasuk. For the record, in the last general election in 2008, there was a three-cornered fight for Tempasuk. BN won the seat after its candidate polled 6,541 votes. PKR garnered 4,109 and an independent took only 191 votes. As for Kadamaian in 2008, BN-PBS Herbert Timbon Lagadan chalked up 5,382 votes, followed by PKR Lukia Indan's 2,909 and independent Peter Marajin's 1,729. "There is no question that this time [2012], votes for the opposition would increase in almost all areas and everyone can feel it and even BN leaders acknowledge this. "But the one factor that can ensure BN will win in Sabah is the split opposition votes," said an observer who is also an NGO leader. Meanwhile, there is no signal that SAPP is re-engaging with Pakatan after being slighted by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's conniving manoeuvres.
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| Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:42 PM PDT In our October Rule-Breaking Issue, we talk to a man who is no stranger to pushing the boundaries. Ever since he started his controversial website Malaysia Today, blogger and activist Raja Petra Kamarudin has butt heads with the law, law-makers, and even the law-makers' greatest critics. We sat down (over Skype, as he, at the time of the interview, was in Manchester, England) and chatted with RPK about his views on Malaysia, bullying, and stirring trouble. Here are seven choice quotes: I attended an English school from standards one to five and a Malayan school in standard six. But in form one, I went to an all-Malay school and I knew what hell was like. Imagine the bullying: I was Malay, royalty and didn't speak a damn word of Malay. I didn't last. To me, it wasn't a school—it was a prison sentence. I think that's why after I was detained and sent to Kamunting, I didn't find it so bad because I had already served two years in Kuala Kangsar. I had a job for two years but I didn't have the discipline to work because I can't obey rules. I support the opposition's cause but that doesn't mean I support the opposition. Supporting the opposition's cause is very different from supporting the opposition. If I support democracy, it doesn't mean I support America. I can be anti-America yet pro-democracy. This is what the opposition doesn't understand. They think if we accept something, it has to be lock, stock and barrel.
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| What’s keeping Malaysia’s Opposition together? Posted: 09 Oct 2012 04:57 PM PDT Pakatan Rakyat is an alliance of profoundly different backgrounds, with secularists, theocrats, conservatives and progressives working together. Bridget Welsh, The Malaysian Insider What keeps the Malaysian opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People's Alliance) together? The quick answer often given is the common search of political power. While power frames the relationships between three disparate political parties - Islamist PAS, secular-committed Democratic Action Party and the umbrella reform-oriented PKR of Mr Anwar Ibrahim - it is not the glue of the opposition alliance. Were this the case, PAS would have left the coalition when UMNO floated the offer of joining the government in 2008 and intense jockeying took place within PAS. The answer lies in the three parties' shared moral compact. Pakatan Rakyat is an alliance of profoundly different backgrounds, with secularists, theocrats, conservatives and progressives working together. In a world wracked with tensions over religion and misunderstandings, Malaysia's opposition stands out in bucking international trends of difference. CORRUPTION IN EVERYDAY LFE Three common principles bind the Opposition together. The first is deep concern with endemic corruption. The problem of corruption is not new, and while Malaysia's practices are assessed above many in Asia, including Indonesia, what has become increasingly apparent is that it has crossed the line of acceptability for many Malaysians. Survey results show that an overwhelming majority view their officials as corrupt and believe that their officials do not abide by the law. Scandal after scandal, from the National Feedlot Corporation and Scorpene, to the recent revelations about the extension of the Ampang LRT, has inundated citizens. While there are many civil servants who work hard to deliver services, there are pressures within the system to conform to predatory practices. Malaysian corruption was initially concentrated among the elite through the practice of "money politics". But more and more, it is extending into everyday issues such as school fees, crime prevention and service provision. Most basic food items, such as sugar and rice, are tied to non-transparent deals of politically-aligned businessmen, as are bigger items such as cars through Approved Permit licence allocations. These weaknesses in governance share a common moral thread - a privileged minority using the system to their advantage, and this is hurting the majority and widening inequality. FAIRNESS AND THE PLAYING FIELD This leads to the second shared principle - fairness. The three political parties each have a different take on what is fair, but there are areas of similarity: Namely, everyone should have a seat at the table; everyone should be treated fairly in a court of law; and social and economic inequalities should be minimised. This shared view of fairness extends into the outrage over unfair legal decisions and deep-seated concerns about poverty and displacement of many Malaysians. Pakatan's conception of citizenship has evolved into one in which all Malaysians are exactly that — Malaysians. It is a modern view of citizenship, in which everyone has rights and the government is to respond to the people, not the other way round. The Opposition's moral compact is also driven by a mutual interest in expanding democratic governance to level the political playing field. Calls for the removal of the Internal Security Act (which was suspended and replaced by the more benign but less tested Security Offences Act earlier this year), electoral reform, freedoms of assembly, religion and speech, among other things, all fall under the umbrella of expanding political space and rights. Ever since the reformasi movement of 1999, opposition activists have joined forces in highlighting democratic deficits and showcasing reasons for an expansion of democracy. Each protest and political crisis has brought the opposition together - from Bersih 1.0 in 2007, to the defections and subsequent takeover of the Perak state government in 2009. The bonds forged by protesting together are strong. Since 2008, there have been significant efforts to rupture the Opposition's moral compact on multiple fronts. The charges of sodomy and corruption have been tied to attempts to discredit opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and raise doubts about his moral calibre to lead. The introduction of issues such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual (LGBT) rights puts pressure on the relationship between the liberals and others within the Pakatan Rakyat. The sensitive "Allah" issue that rose to the fore in 2010 tested the Islamists' position. The push for Malay rights under the rubric "Ketuanan Melayu" reflects efforts to reinforce ethnic supremacy over shared humanity and equality, to reimpose the social contract of the past. Each of these issues has not broken the ties between the opposition actors, and it is in part due to the prominence of the underlying principles that bring them together. THE PROBLEM OF HUDUD This is not a moral compact without problems, however. The biggest challenge for the Opposition lies within. It has to do with an issue being negotiated throughout the Muslim world: The place and form of Islamic law, notably hudud. Globally, Islamist political parties from AKP in Turkey to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt are grappling with how to bring about Islamic governance while maintaining rights. For liberals, the introduction of measures such as hudud violates the shared democratic ideals, as there remains deep mistrust of Islamists in office. For secularists, hudud violates their view of governance. Doubts persist in some quarters about whether the Islamists will continue to hold to the ideals in office, respect different religious rights and, importantly, tolerate difference within their own community. Detractors point to Algeria and Iran as testimony to a potential violation of trust. Others more open-minded highlight the negotiated paths of Turkey and Morocco. For Malaysia, the hudud issue remains on the agenda, unresolved and unlikely to be so before polls. In public remarks, Mr Anwar has stressed the centrality of dialogue and principle of consensus. There appears to be a working agreement to agree to disagree. Among Islamists there has been a global trend towards greater accommodation of difference and an appreciation of constitutional frameworks for governance. Many in the PAS old guard, nevertheless, are tied to the vision of a religious theocracy that is increasingly becoming outmoded, even in Egypt where the President comes from one of the historically strongest advocates of these measures, the Muslim Brotherhood. Islamists the world over are having to reprioritise their principles in order to govern societies, and PAS will have to as well. What is important is that it will need to do this on its own terms, rather than respond to ultimatums from allies and opponents alike. Hudud will remain salient to this campaign, because at its core, it puts pressure on Malaysia's Opposition to reassess, reaffirm and reinforce their common moral priorities. It is this common ground however, that is Pakatan's moral compact — and for now it is on firm ground. — Today Bridget Welsh is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Singapore Management University.
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