Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
ASIA/MALAYSIA - The Islamic Party "change skin": new hope for the future of the nation
Kuala Lumpur (Agenzia Fides) - PAS (Parti Islam SeMalaysia), the main Islamic party in Malaysia, has opened a new era of reform, abandoning the restrictive view of Islam and marrying a more liberal line, centered on questions of the welfare state. This is what emerged from the last Congress of PAS, which recently concluded, in which the party elected new leadership and inaugurated a new era that some observers have called "a revolution" as far as the Malaysian political scene is concerned.
The Congress, Fides sources in the Malaysian Christian community say , has fired new hope in the civil society and in all non-Muslims sectors of society, which represent approximately 40% of the population. PAS, in fact, is known as the Islamic fundamentalist party, the promoter of the theocracy and Islamic law in society.
At this Assembly, (PAS has 23 seats in the national parliament) PAS veered from its Islamic State agenda and chose instead to focus on instituting a "welfare state". The congressional decision comes ahead of a general election, planned in Malaysia in 2013 but, due to the current political situation it could be anticipated.
"The party has elected new leaders who are no more ulama-centered, but come from civil society (such as the leader Mohamed Sabu and the and vice-presidents Salahuddin Ayub, Datuk Husam Musa and Datuk Mahfouz): doctors, engineers, businessmen, rooted in the professional world and open to the aspirations of the non-Muslim minorities. According to the source of Fides, "they are people with a vision of a pluralist society and have always expressed respect for Christians: this augurs well for the future of politics in Malaysia".
PAS reiterated that in its agenda there will be the fight against corruption, racism, abuse of power, and intends to work for "morality in public life." Despite the skepticism of some observers - who speak of "adjustments", because the statute of the party, centered on the vision of the Islamic state, has not changed - the civil society and non-Muslim communities in Malaysia hope that this coalition camp can be the alternative government to take over from the National Front (the UMNO), that had ruled the nation without a break for 54 years. The hope is that PAS, through an alliance with the People Justice Party and the Democratic Action Party (Chinese majority), can give rise to a coalition that is committed to ensuring the rights of all Malaysian citizens without discrimination of faith, ethnicity, culture.
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation: 60% of the 28 million Malaysian citizens are ethnic Malay and Muslim. Ethnic minorities (26% Chinese, 8% Indians natives) including minority religious communities: Christians (8%, among which 900 thousand Catholics), Buddhists (7%), Hindu (7%), followers of traditional religions (25%), other religions (5%). (PA) (Agenzia Fides 06/17/2011)
