ABDUL Hadi Awang is undoubtedly one of the most skilful political operatives in the country and part of that genius lies in how his religious and divisive rhetoric was designed to constantly sow discord by selling an idea that Malaysia’s problems stem from having the wrong people (race) in charge.

Try and read again the PAS president’s recent remark where he spoke about the voter percentage of non-Muslims outweighing that of the Muslims in this country. In his own words, this would lead to an undesirable outcome of non-Muslims ruling the country.

To Hadi, any politician in any other multiracial country uttering similar remarks should have immediately been disqualified from being a potential office bearer and labelled a pariah in national politics.

Yet, this is the same Hadi who was just recently named as the shadow deputy prime minister should his coalition come into power.

I have always wondered what is so intrinsically wrong with non-Malays having the levers of power in a country they were born in. Perhaps, in Hadi’s worldview, he has never viewed the non-Muslims as people who have the right to a place in the sun of Malaysia.  

Despite being roundly criticised for sowing division through dog-whistling politics since the recent general election, Hadi and PAS appear to be undeterred and have decided to continue the same formula to delegitimise the present government.

Just a fortnight ago, Jabi assemblyman and Terengganu exco Dr Azman Ibrahim fantasised about a forgotten age, deliberately posting a picture showing a Malay man being pulled on a rickshaw by a Chinese man. 

Unfortunately, this is also the kind of rhetoric I suspect a section of conservative supporters actually subscribe to.

Whether the likes of Hadi or Azman truly meant what they say is academic because what matters is these politicians are merely responding to their core voters and hoping one day it will turn into a mainstream idea.

There is also the other harsh truth that these remarks actually strike a chord with some Malay voters who may find that these politicians are speaking their own thoughts out loud on their behalf.

And that could only explain how PAS politicians – even when they are in opposition – are still persisting with such divisive messaging with little interest in policy making. 

So how does this relate to the governing coalition? Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) must soon realise that countering Hadi’s rhetoric is imperative to the stability of the government. Hadi’s attempt to instigate another Sheraton Move or “tebuk atap”, as he has put it, should be viewed along with his statement about letting non-Muslims govern the country.

It was the insecurity and anxiety that he has cleverly sowed through the Icerd fiasco that he was able to claim legitimacy of the takeover of a democratically elected government in 2020.

Hadi understands that while a government formed not out of elections would not be universally endorsed but so long as he can impress upon the conservative Malays that a PH-led government was acting against their own interests, then any disruption and instability from bringing down a PH government could also be somehow tolerated.  

While PH under Anwar has learned its lesson and the coalition government is understandably in a more cautious governing mode, I am afraid that strategy would at best buy it time while Hadi and PAS continue with their divisive rhetoric to push the Overton Window in his favour.

Therefore, if PH and BN wish to at least govern a full term, there would be no alternative other than facing down Hadi’s controversial ideas.  

PH and BN must first understand that there is little use in calling out Hadi’s remarks and it has been done ad nauseam to almost no effect.

Equally, there are no political points to score for calling him out to attend parliament more often. The Marang MP’s abysmal parliamentary attendance has been well documented yet the electorates have decided to reward him with an even bigger majority during the last election.

Hence, the only remaining method is to challenge Hadi’s ideas that they are counterproductive to nation building and despite the difficulty of the idea of equality of all races, it is a noble cause that is worth pursuing.

This is after all a traditional idea that was first espoused by our founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman, in his speech titled “A Place in the Sun for Everyone”.

Conversely, the notion of politically separating Muslims and non-Muslims that Hadi Awang actively propagates through his rhetoric is the idea that is radical and alien to the formation of Malaysia.

In the battle of ideas, perhaps the coalition government could first reclaim the conservative ground by selling the age-old idea of equality that was first preached when Malaysia was formed. – March 5, 2023.

* Kenneth Cheng has always been interested in the interplay between human rights and government but more importantly he is a father of two cats, Tangyuan and Toufu. When he is not attending to his feline matters, he is most likely reading books about politics and human rights or playing video games. He is a firm believer in the dictum “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.