AFTER slightly more than a year since its formation, Amanah has succeeded in attracting a sizeable number of non-Malay members who are attracted by what they believe is a party that truly embraces diversity in a multicultural Malaysia.

Non-Muslim members in the PAS splinter party now total 5,000 – out of 100,000 in total membership – many of whom are former members of PAS’ Dewan Himpunan Penyokong (DHPP) for non-Muslim supporters.

DHPP founder Hu Pang Chaw said it was a natural choice to move after Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, as well as leaders like Salahuddin Ayub and Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, left PAS in 2015.

“After (PAS spiritual leader) Nik Aziz Nik Mat died in 2015, PAS began to decline,” said Hu, who founded the PAS Supporters Club in 2004.

“It made more sense to go with Sabu,” said the 63-year-old on the sidelines of Amanah’s second convention in Ipoh yesterday.

For the past 10 years that DHPP has existed, the number of non-Malay members hovered around 1,000, with many turned off by PAS’ constitution that forbade non-Muslims from becoming full-fledged members.

Amanah is the smallest party in Pakatan Harapan, and is still struggling to appeal to Muslim voters split between the conservative PAS and two other Malay-majority parties – PKR and Bersatu.

But the party appears to have a respectable – and growing – following from non-Malays, who are comfortable backing a majority-Malay party seen to be moderate and progressive.

In the past month, two former Gerakan leaders – Liew Yun Fah (former vice-president) and Loo Yeng Peng (former Puchong MP) – have joined the party.

K. Balakrishnan, who was also a DHPP member and now counts himself among Amanah’s ranks, said the lack of segregation among Malay and non-Malay members was key to why he crossed over.

He said the Amanah’s leaders fought for the rights of non-Muslims in tandem with upholding Islamic values, adding that he has been given opportunities to rise in the party despite not being Muslim or Malay.

“Although I’m an Indian, I was given a position based on my abilities,” said the Kuala Kangsar municipal councilor from the Sg Siput division.

Another Amanah member, Frankie Koh, said that even though Amanah was founded on Islamic values, it was more progressive than PAS.

“Although they are also Islamists, they don’t follow blindly and will challenge the leadership. This is a healthy democratic practice in the party,” said Koh.

For Sharon Teo, her move to join Amanah came after she was convinced that the party was truly open to feedback from other races and religions.

Teo had volunteered as a polling and counting agent (PACA) for Amanah deputy president Salahuddin in Pulai for the 14th general election, and was “sold” during one of his talks.

“After he won, he asked me to work as his Pulai service centre officer,” said Teo, who represented the Amanah Women’s Youth (Warda) wing during the party debates on the president’s speech yesterday.

The 29-year-old, who had already been planning on joining a political party, said Amanah was a model of what Malaysia should be – a majority Malay-Muslim country where every race and religion could coexist.

“The president is open-minded and makes working with Muslims here very easy,” she said. – December 16, 2018.