Was DAP’s PAS snub part of ‘impian’ Johor MB plan?

Hazlan Zakaria, The Ant Daily

It may appear that DAP’s eagerness to see PAS divorced from Pakatan has more to do with what the socialist democratic party has planned for Johor, than any real twist in its knickers over the Islamic party’s insistence on implementing the Islamic penal code or hudud.

After all if things go well for the opposition party in the next general election or successive ones if electoral trends prevail, it may have a chance to take the helm of another state give or take one or two GE down the line.

It would seem a long-term plan worthy of the “long game”, for those who profess the game theory in political settings.

This is perhaps more poignant after having to forgo the coveted menteri besar’s post in Perak after 2008’s GE12 political tsunami which saw BN lose two third’s majority for the first time in Malaysian political history.

During that time DAP had to step aside and give way to PAS’ Nizar Jamaluddin despite having the most seats, 18, to the Islamist party’s six and PKR’s seven.

The reason being the state constitutional proviso that requires a Malay to be named as MB. As DAP had no Malay assembly persons and PKR no suitable candidates, it went to PAS instead.

Though also perhaps, because PAS’ political ambitions may have more to it than just hudud in Kelantan.

After all, it even submitted its assembly person’s name to the Selangor palace to replace discredited former PKR MB Khalid Ibrahim.

All this was done despite the clear Pakatan stand to let PKR rule in the state. Of course, this was when the now defunct federal opposition grouping was still a functioning political pact.

Having PAS out of the way may be the best for DAP if it were ever to manage to take on BN in Johor, with whichever party it holds hands with in the next general elections.

After all even if it links hands with the PAS liberals, from the G18 or PasMa, reincarnated into a new political entity, it knows very well that the Islamist agenda, even if not hudud specifically, will still be on the cards.

Something that will recur again in future iterations of any federal opposition alliance. If DAP can stomach it, it shows the party too is playing the politics of convenience just as it did with PAS.

In any case, at present DAP holds the most state seats in Johor with 13 in the bag, compared to PAS’ four and PKR’s lone seat.

If one were to project into the future that the trends follow the same pattern, an alliance comprising DAP and other parties, should they take Johor may see DAP in pole position for the menteri besar’s post.

Indeed, DAP’s passion towards secularism is perhaps not the only reason behind its vehement rejection of hudud and emotional reaction to PAS and its Islamic law and state dreams.

It is needed a pretext to boot PAS out of its future plans in Johor perhaps. And PAS and the arrogance of its current ulama faction leaders just played into DAP’s hands.

And as for the problem of not having a Malay to submit to the Johor palace should they ever manage to obtain majority, DAP is already hard at work luring and recruiting liberal Malays and Johor youths who are perhaps less traditional than the Merdeka generation.

While Johor is seen as the bastion of Umno and the Malay mindset, amongst the youth, the tale may be different.

One may point out that Malays in Johor are nothing like Malays in Bangsar or Subang Jaya, so to speak, but then again there are idiotic people in Bangsar and Subang Jaya too.

And this whole Umno fortress and Malay bastion tale was also spoken of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor since way back when, and all three have fallen to Pakatan.

Granted jailed PKR defacto leader Anwar Ibrahim and the public’s anger at the BN had something to do with that but still, if the same sentiment prevails, everything, including Johor, could be up for grabs.

It is already clear that the socialist democratic party is looking to bring in high profile Malays to the party with the coup being national laureate A. Samad Said, affectionately known as Pak Samad who became a lifelong member of DAP recently.

Mascot or no mascot as critics alleged, DAP now has Pak Samad as a rallying figure in its midst. And there is a movement amongst NGOs and seemingly masterless ‘ronin’ civil society activists who have made some headway into pushing liberal ideas in the youth down south.

Though the two-step dance here is that as DAP continue to expand by opening its doors to Malays, they are also careful not to be seen as fighting for Malay rights which may not sit well with their core Chinese-based voter bank.

Instead, the party diverts attention by portraying those Malays who come in as Malaysians who have no Malay or Muslim agenda, despite being Malay Muslims.

But still the key to DAP’s expansion lies in its ability to take in Malay support especially in states like Perak, Selangor and Johor. Which was why it needed PKR and PAS in the first place. The Islamist party had to go because it was no longer needed.

Thus the irony is for DAP to highlight that it is recruiting Malays but then having to turn around and have these ‘Malays’ issue statements on being more Malaysian than Malay or Muslim for that matter.

Anyhow it was perhaps not a coincidence that DAP’s latest Malay Muslim youth recruit was a former PAS member from Johor no less, with Pak Samad in smiling attendance.

While he is perhaps too young to be MB as yet, it is a start and there are other high profile Malays of some stature already in DAP’s fold like Pak Samad and veteran Ariff Sabri as well as others that can be strategically moved around.

Of course, as party insiders immediately pointed out when asked about the matter, Johor which was the much touted “birthplace of Umno” is as yet untenable for DAP to take on alone, without PKR or a new PAS-like party.

But with its already strong showing in GE13, and tumultuous times ahead in Umno and the Johor leadership under Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, seemingly going head to head with Prime Minister Najib Razak, sabotage and internal dissent may see some shifts in the political scenario.

And once that day comes, one or two GEs down the road, without PAS to butt in, and with PKR being as weak as it is without Anwar, combined with a mature ‘Malay Malaysians’ wing, DAP might just take over Johor.

It’s a possibility if anything at all, one that PAS’ faux pass probably gave DAP the pretext it needed to put its plan in motion. A plausible if not altogether possible scenario.