Why PAS can’t be defeated in the rural heartlands

Unlike the Islamist party, Umno, PKR and Amanah have no natural base in rural Malaysia.

To the PAS Malays, Islam is much more than a religion, it is a way of life. This way of life carries with it, the ability to be ‘saved’ or ‘dammed’ in the afterlife. This governs the morals and ethics of living within Islam. Thus, living correctly, according to Islam is the mission of life here on Earth.

From this context, no one can tell a PAS Malay they are wrong. In fact, from the PAS Malay perspective, the ones who tell PAS Malays they are wrong, are the misguided ones.

The Iranian revolution back in May 1979 was an event of inspiration about what could be in Malaysia. A true Islamic government is one of virtue and justice. What the PAS Malays see today is a government run by corrupted rent-seekers, who govern for self-interest, by mislead politicians.

PAS rural Malays live in kampongs, together with people who think alike. They share the same visions, and have over generations tried to make their respective kampongs reflect their values. They have their own schools, mosques, madrasas, and their own shops and businesses. PAS Malays live in a society reinforced by mutual community assurances, which is extremely powerful.

This has been inspired by the PAS ulama and community leaders.

Institutions like the monarchy are defined by the ulama, and seen as the necessity of tradition. The real leadership is the ulama today. They are the links with to interpreting the world, where Malays have drastically modified their culture, incorporating’ Arabism’ within both dress and language.

This separates PAS Malays from the rest of society, both visually and verbally. They live together in group spirituality. Some might call this a group neurosis. An attack on their beliefs is an attack on Islam, which they will defend.

They see the world riddled with corruption. Further, mixing with those outside, is tempting corruption. Outsiders also includes other Malays, who are viewed with caution, and even suspicion. They are seen as Malays who have strayed from the Ummah, or fold of Muslims. There is no respect for them.

Most political leaders from UMNO and PKR live in towns. They are perceived as different, with completely different belief and value sets. They are seen as people seeking self-benefit, motivated by greed, thus straying from the basic values of Islam. That’s why messages from UMNO and PKR politicians just fall on ‘deaf ears’ in the rural heartlands.

Both UMNO and PKR have no natural base in the rural heartlands. They can visit, but there is no permanent presence there. They are deemed outsiders. Amanah lost the connection with the kampongs, when they broke away from PAS. Amanah is also primarily town based.

Thus, when it comes to election campaigns, PAS has a deep local grassroot organization within the kampongs, which fringe into the towns. UMNO, PKR, and Amanah have campaign offices, which are only set up for the duration of election campaigns, and then disappear the day after an election. PAS offices are there all year round.

Consequently, UMNO, PKR, and Amanah are disconnected with the electorate. They just don’t disseminate the messages that resonate with voters in the rural heartlands. This partly explains why Nurul Izzah Anwar lost the long-time family held seat of Pematang Puah, and Saifuddin Nasution Ismail lost his Bandar Baharu seat in parliament.

Mega projects, five- year plans, and new government initiatives are totally irrelevant to voters in the rural heartlands. Back in the 1980’s, I was asked by a resident of Kuala Nerang in Kedah, how would the KLCC benefit their lives. The whole project was irrelevant to them. Inversely for others, the KLCC became a symbol of national pride.

PAS Malays have a completely different value set to urban dwellers, which is grossly misunderstood by the rest of Malaysians. Those dismissing the beliefs and values of the PAS Malays only strengthens them.

The problem here is that many look down upon PAS Malays for what they believe in. This contempt for other Malaysian brothers and sisters is a massive line of divide in Malaysia today. This is what enables PAS to become much stronger.

All sustainable political movements must be grounded within the community. UMNO no longer defended Malay rights and the party has gone from holding 88 seats in 1995, to just 26 seats today. The spirit of PKR lives in coffee shops around major urban areas. There is no real kampong movement. The hardcore of PKR’s support base is now aged from the reformasi days, and disappointed. Pakatan Harapan’s aggregate vote only went from 5.5 million to 5.8 million votes over the last two general elections, even with the UNDI18 vote in 2022. Pakatan must do a lot of soul searching here.

There used to be UMNO in the kampongs. UMNO was once a kampong-based party. However, the development of money politics, disenfranchised the kampong membership. UMNO is paying dearly for this now. Mukhriz Mahathir tried to be an absentee Menteri Besar in Kedah, and will most probably not be able to hold his seat in the coming Kedah state election.

PAS is a community-based party. It has been building communities for more than 50 years. Consequently, PAS is here to stay and be a major influence upon Malaysian politics for years to come.

Originally published in FMT 19th May 2023

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