Malaysia’s PM Anwar Flirts With Fundamentalist Party
Hoping that PAS will moderate its behavior is just wishful thinking
By: Dennis Ignatius
In a recent interview, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he would not reject the possibility of Parti Islam se-Malysia, the rural-based religious component of the opposition Perikatan Nasional, joining his unity government subject to PAS accepting several core policies and respecting that Malaysia is a multiracial and multireligious nation. That comes after he had spoken earlier about his hopes for “rekindling” a relationship with PAS president Hadi Awang.
While the ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action Party leadership lapsed into its predictable silence, both Lim Kit Siang and Malaysian Chinese Association President Wee Ka Siong quickly endorsed the idea. Wee said that “Anwar has the right to invite any political party to join the government” and that no one has the right to question his decision. Lim added that “PAS must demonstrate a change of attitude to show that it supports the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s call for political stability and national unity in Malaysia.” He also demanded that Hadi “retract and apologize for the numerous wild and preposterous allegations he had made against the DAP and me.”…