Friday, February 27, 2015

The horns of dilemma

Between Scylla and Charybdis.

Between the Devil and the deep blue Sea.

Between a rock and a hard place.

Be on the horns of a dilemma.



All more or less means caught in a quandary, though each idiom has its own characteristic and subtler meaning. But quandary as a common denominator suffices.

Quandary is defined by the dictionary as 'a state of perplexity or uncertainty, especially as to what to do', a dilemma so to speak, and as one of the idioms above mentions so succinctly, 'be on the horns of a dilemma'.

This is the current predicament for PAS, DAP, MCA, Gerakan and Najib Razak.

Let us examine what the horns of dilemma for each could be, respectively.


PAS knows it requires non-Muslim non-Malay votes to win in quite a few federal constituencies (last I heard after 2008 was 66) to firstly overthrow UMNO and secondly, with the support of PKR and DAP, form the federal government. With the current antagonism the nons have for UMNO, and with DAP support, those votes are basically there on a silver platter for PAS' taking.

But it also wants to implement hudud, which unfortunately for PAS frightens and repulses the non-Muslims non Malays as had been the case in previous years, well, until Pakatan was successfully formed to participate in the 12th and 13th general elections.

PAS must have also believe that implementing hudud will show the Heartland it's a far more pious Islamic entity than UMNO, thus it also argues (probably among party strategists and senior members) that if it doesn't push for hudud, UMNO will upstage it a la Dr Mahathir's 1991 Islamic State declaration.

Let's recall that on 12 November 2001, Malaysiakini published The Islamic state debacle, which stated (extracts only):


The declaration by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Malaysia is already an Islamic state when he opened the Gerakan annual delegates conference in September further complicated the Islamic state controversy in our country.

Mahathir's declaration could be seen as a two-pronged political gimmick to out-do PAS on the Islamic state issue. On one hand, he wants the Malays to believe that Umno is no less Islamic than PAS. On the other, he tries to convince the non-Malays that Umno's version of Islamic state is more moderate and acceptable compared with PAS'.

Bar Council chairperson Mah Weng Kwai says that the PM's declaration is "essentially a political statement".

According to Mah, the Bar Council is of the view that the fact that some countries perceive Malaysia as an Islamic state, that Malaysia may qualify as one according to definitions by the ulama and that the prime minister has made what is essentially a political statement, does not change the legal religious stand of Malaysia as a secular state as expressed in the constitution.

That's what the authorities in Terengganu are currently doing, to show the Heartland, preemptively way way before GE-14, that UMNO is far more Islamic than PAS.

Terengganu has recently passed syariah legislation which can punish Muslims who don't attend Friday mosque prayers (by parading them riding in a hearse), and some sweeties who ride pillion on motorcycles, and that shops must close for 2 hours on Friday during noon time.


Hasn't Terengganu been doing exactly what Dr Mahathir did in 1991 to outflank PAS in the Heartland?

This is also a dilemma for PAS, what its more religious members might be delighted in, but as a political party it fears.

Other than the above political points, I am not going to go into why PAS is so insistent on implementing hudud when there are many Islamic countries which don't incorporate hudud in their legislature, while those which have, have shown their unmitigated brutally unjust judicial systems, within which the Compassion of Allah swt was markedly (and remarkably) missing while the cruelty and injustice of the priesthood castes have been overwhelming.


So if PAS want non-Muslim non-Malay votes it's obvious the best way to get those would be to not include hudud as one of their principal objectives; OTOH, if they want to implement hudud and thus strengthen its support among conservative Muslims, then they may have to forego the non-Muslim non-Malay votes. Thus they're dancing on the horns of a dilemma.

That's the horns of dilemma that's poking at the arse of PAS, wakakaka.

There are a few options for PAS to overcome both rock and a hard place, which I have already blogged on so I won't go into them again.

DAP's horns of dilemma are the exact opposite of PAS. In earlier euphoric days we saw some DAP leaders sprouting Quranic verses to the immense delight of Allahyarham Datuk Haji Nik Aziz and making regular reference to the golden days of some Islamic caliphates, just in the same way that PAS had (momentarily) discarded its preference for hudud for the so-called 'welfare state'.


I guess not so now for both sides where they realize their implacable irreconcilable differences.

DAP is caught between wanting to continue with PAS and PKR in a Pakatan coalition, one it sees as the only feasible solution to replacing BN as a government, and the repugnance of PAS' insistence on implementing hudud, which will affect its standing with non Muslim voters a la 1999.

Those are the two very sharp horns of dilemma shafting at its 6 O'Clock, wakakaka.

MCA and Gerakan are hardly worth talking about, but there in DAP's dilemma, they see some glimmer of hope which they will undoubtedly exploit, expand and exaggerate to their benefits - and why not for that's all fair in politics.


But they are constantly buggered (shafted in their behind) by UMNO ultras making arrogant hostile remarks against Chinese (and to a lesser extent, Indians). Nice of their TaiKoh to keep pulling the comfy rug from beneath their very 'chicken' feet, wakakaka.

Really, they have lost mucho 'face' in staying on as so-called UMNO partners and  as many Chinese have said, 'better to die than to continue in shame', but then they will 'lose' more if they leave, wakakaka. Horns of dilemma?

Ah Jib Gor wants the support of the nons but he is denied showing why he deserves their votes when he has been interdicted in every which way by certain UMNO forces.

We need go no further than to keep an eye on Pak Kadir Jasin's posts to see these. Pak Kadir is the mouthpiece of someone we know so well, don't we, wakakaka?


So to maintain support from within UMNO, Ah Jib Gor acts in ways that has repulsed his so-called Ah Tee's (adik2). Thus he suffers from these, his horns of dilemma.

I suspect he is the first Malaysian PM to be shafted every which way, by both the federal opposition and his own UMNO, wakakaka. I wonder whether he'll even be shafted into eventually joining his former UMNO matey (and senior), Anwar, in prison.

To conclude, I can daringly say, those caught on the horns of dilemma will ultimately (have to) choose commonsense fundamentals, namely, their personal political survival. Thus PAS will opt for hudud (and Muslim votes) over Chinese voters, DAP for secularism (and nons' votes) over Malay voters, MCA and Gerakan for BN over 'face' or dignity, wakakaka, and Najib for his survival in UMNO over 1Malaysia and world class governance.


15 comments:

  1. I have this radical proposal:

    All politicians (and anyone else, muslim or otherwise) regardless of political divide who support and vote for Hudud must pre-sign a consent to be governed by Hudud law.

    For the rest who do not sign, our common law continues to apply. Some will say this is crazy as we cannot have two sets of ruling. But our leaders have already done it. What applies to peninsular isn't in Sabah and Sarawak!

    Isn't this the best solution in theory?

    Politician or whoever that commits a crime like for e.g. steals, will get their hand chopped off where they had pre-consented, tried and if found guilty. For the rest of us who commit the same, just go to jail or only pay a fine under common law.

    EVERYONE WILL LIVE HAPPILY THEREAFTER.

    Our politics will then be free from this burden. PAS can court and marry UMNO, GERAKAN and MCA can continue remain on life-support system.

    BUT like most dreams, this proposal will just continue to remain my dream...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dreaming 12.03

      I don't see how "EVERYONE WILL LIVE HAPPILY THEREAFTER" especially for a non-Muslim under Hudud law.

      Imagine a case of a non-Muslim being raped by a Muslim or the other way around. Can a non-Muslim stand as a witness to the crime for either one of them ?

      -huaren

      Delete
  2. Just continue with the BN model.
    Its not perfect but far superior to the alternatives.

    ReplyDelete
  3. oi kalai

    Selangor and Penang are govern by PR, are they less superior than the states govern by BN ?

    The governance of these two states give you an idea of how PR will be governing this country if they come to power, it can never be any worse that what we have now, that i can be very sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kalai has been donning the BN tunnel-vision eyeglass all his life....so he's unable, via his tunnel spectacles, to see how PR governance is like....the black ink in the account books of PR administered states came out as red in his tunnel vision !

      Delete
  4. Many Chinese will return to vote for BN or perhaps stay home to play mahjong in the next GE if the Hudud bulldozer simply gets rammed through.
    MCA and Gerakan are licking their lips.
    Even UMNO will benefit, in seats where BN ( UMNO) contests against PAS or a Malay PKR candidate.
    Forget about Putrajaya. DAP wil have a difficult time defending many of the marginal seats.

    ReplyDelete
  5. PAS's Hudud push has many similarities to UMNO's Racial Supremacy agenda. Both are ultimately preaching to the converted - to committed loyalists. Politically, they are counter-productive because they alienate the very people they need to win over.

    In PAS's case , Hudud is not going to convince any UMNO loyalists to switch support. The people PAS needs to win over are middle-ground Malays who are sick of UMNO, but have no wish for an Islamic theocracy .

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kalai 12.43

    You are right. the BN model is better than PR..
    The three parties, which have very different interests in PR, seem to be equal partners. DAP won't give in to PAS and vice versa.

    If only one of them is dominant, like having the last say, it has the effect of uniting all the three parties. Since there's no 'fatherly' figure to settle the quarrels, DAP and PAS going their separate ways could be the only option.

    -huaren

    ReplyDelete
  7. So, you are damned if you are an Islamist and damned if you are non-modernist/secularist Malay. Wakakaka…

    So, to Hadi/PAS…. my advice is: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

    Wakakaka…

    - hasan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. my dear islamist bro, i never have an issue pas n muslim wan hudud, as long as it dun impose their value on others, but i think that is quite impposible. dun u think so? that is y i am against hudud but i think we have to respect the right of muslim that want it, or do not want it, does our society allow such freedom to choose? i dun know.

      hadi stance is very clear on hudud but he keep mum on the "accusation" wrt to unity. a sincere question, what do u think is in his heart? unity is perfectly fine, this is pas n umno right, however my stance is clear, i am partisan n i think we must vote bn out. i do not see how unity could help to achieve a 2 party system, it merely work to delay such progress, or perhaps the other way round, i mean if hadi n pas want a unity, declare it openly (follow their heart) then pr can move forward.

      kt is a secularist i think, most secularist choose to live in the west i think. wakaka. chinese, unlike the liberal british an aussie, prefer 山高皇帝远 "The mountains are high and the emperor is far away"

      Delete
    2. A leader is for everybody, for all. Care for Muslims and others who are not. Hadi, please be that leader.

      -huaren

      Delete
    3. My dear friend HY…

      Sincerely, if Hadi (PAS) wants to join BN he would have met Zaid in London. Period.

      Hadi is not stupid. I don’t think he would bring PAS out of PR. What would happen to Selangor at 28 against 15 + 12 + 1? What would happen to PAS’ executive councilors? What would happen to Azmin/Selangor PR Government?

      Don’t ever think Hadi would be a sitting duck! Hadi would not rock the boat? He knows the rakyat already got enough of that rancid satay. But if DAP sacked PAS out of PR today, Hadi would say thank you very much to LGE.

      Why DAP so stubborn mah? Support hudud sudahlah. Ask Hadi to make it unequivocally clear that is only for the Muslims? Limit it to Kelantan sudah lah.

      Let the rakyat feels hudud and then reject or accept it through future general elections. This man LGE can pull my dick but don’t he ever thinks he can pull my leg mah?

      HY… you know whom I voted for in GE13… and I am still feeling the same if it is GE14 esok.

      Get my drift, bro?

      - hasan

      Delete
  8. Both UMNO and PAS need to recognise that the continuing Islamisation campaign inevitably breeds more Killer Jihadists.

    You can repeat 1,000 times that these extremists do not represent Islam, but it doesn't alter the fact the Islamisation process hardens attitudes in the whole Muslim population towards non-Muslims and any activity deemed unIslamic.

    There is a straight road that leads from imposing severe penalties on Muslims who drink alcohol, to blowing up pubs full of innocent non-Muslims in Bali, and maybe someday, Bukit Bintang.

    Only a few extremists will take that road to become Killers, but lets not delude ourselves how that road got opened up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hadi is a leader for Islamists.
    Lim Kit Siang is the leader for Chinese chauvinists.
    Anwar Ibrahim is the leader for...Anwar family and cronies.
    Najib is the leader for....Rosmah....

    Where can we ever find a leader for all Malaysians?


    ReplyDelete
  10. they are all political leaders. politics = power = wealth.

    ReplyDelete