Malaysia Matters Podcast

Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) will hold an assembly this Friday to formally announce their backing of Anwar Ibrahim’s bid to return to parliament in elections coming at the end of this month. 

The PAS spiritual leader of the Islamic Party, PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat pledged last weekend to stand behind Anwar, choosing to overlook the unresolved criminal charges and crediting his faith in Anwar’s experience. 

PAS, one of the three parties in Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition has conservative elements that tend to push for greater closeness with the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) because of a shared Malay/Muslim interests. That said, being in on the ground floor with Anwar’s opposition coalition could reap greater benefits for PAS in the long run in the form of appointments to offices of influence.

This, of course, is good news for Anwar. Without PAS as a coalition partner, Anwar couldn’t hope to pull off his grand plan to take over the government next month. But although PAS is downplaying its strong Islamic viewpoint, it bears remembering that, should the scheme work, upon victory, Anwar will be heavily indebted to PAS, who most certainly will expect that favor to be returned.

At that point it will be very interesting to see what impact pro-Sharia law PAS officials have on already fragile minority rights in Malaysia.