The closer Islamic party PAS gets to Putrajaya, the more it has to moderate its position, says political analyst James Chai.
New: You can now listen to articles.Throughout the controversy, Parti Islam Se- Malaysia has largely chosen to maintain a degree of separation. The party was not a vocal critic of KK Super Mart nor an advocate for the boycott calls, defying usual expectations.At first glance, this appears out of character. PAS , which backs a hardline interpretation of Islamic law, treats identity politics as their primary political capital., PAS has not abandoned its ways of focusing on race and religion.
PAS, on its part, called for strict actions to be taken against those responsible, but also advised caution against the ethno-religious conflict getting out of hand. This was the position taken by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the police and Malaysian king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar – it was also arguably the most reasonable one.
Perhaps knowing the degree of damage, PAS did not want to be associated with the boycott movement, as it came with indirect responsibility and also a palpable chance of escalating a tense situation. What Mr Yahaya meant was that although the KK Super Mart controversy started as a religious issue, concerning the prophet’s name, the boycott itself was not. In other words, the boycott could be interpreted variously as commercial, racial, political or moral, but it might not be religious.
Such restraint, though self-serving, has important implications on how conflicts will play out in the future.
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