They changed their image and their talking points, but did not repudiate the agenda they emphasized earlier. Western policymakers should take note, and ponder what lessons may be applied to the Palestinian Authority, and other purported bastions of "moderation."
"Analysts say Malaysian Islamic party wins big with gentler image," from Agence France-Presse:
KOTA BHARU, Malaysia: Malaysia's Islamic party made huge strides in weekend elections, by putting on a moderate face and dropping fundamentalist rhetoric that had alienated voters, analysts said Sunday.
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) made a remarkable recovery after 2004 polls when its calls for an Islamic state to be imposed in the multicultural country were soundly rejected by Muslim Malays and minorities alike.
The conservative party of Muslim scholars absorbed that painful lesson, shifting away from its fire-and-brimstone rhetoric and even reaching out to Malaysia's ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
It was rewarded with a big win in its heartland of Kelantan state which it had held by a slim majority, and is expected to join opposition alliances to rule three of the four states wrested from the Barisan Nasional coalition.
It also claimed 23 seats in the national parliament, from just six before.
"There was a big shift in PAS's attitude by dropping any mention of plans to set up an Islamic state," said political analyst Shahruddin Badaruddin.
"Instead it concentrated on the idea of a compassionate and welfare-like state," he told AFP.
While the Barisan Nasional (BN) dangled billions of dollars in development projects for the impoverished Malay heartlands, PAS offered its brand of pious values and sedate economic growth.
Kelantan Chief Minister Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat hailed the "tsunami" of electoral support for the party in a victory speech that reflected its inclusive new approach.
Nik Abdul Aziz Mat's name may be familiar from his earlier statements that women's revealing clothing causes crime and distracts men from sleep and prayers.
"The people who are not Muslim, the Chinese, the Indians and (other minorities) now clearly accept our Islamic governance despite attempts by the BN's throwing of money and promises of development," he said.
PAS's last big gains were in 1999 when it captured northern Terengganu state, leading it to believe Malaysians were willing to accept a hardline Islamic government, Shahruddin said.
But its tough line, including prohibitions on nightclubs, skimpy clothes and alcohol, coupled with excitement over Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's new administration, saw it lose Terengganu in 2004.
And who is to say those rules won't reappear if PAS finds itself in a strong enough position to enforce them?
Too bad there isn't a big enough Indo-Chinese (i.e. Chinese and Tamil coalition) party to win enough seats to deny any Islamic party a clear majority.
Malaysia is lost.
Didn't Neil Young write a line in a song - "kinder, gentler machine gun hand"?
For some reason it popped in to my head when I read this story.
Well, Robert, the People will.
What you have to understand is that the Coalition (National Front) was up to no good. It stands to reason, because they have never been the Opposition. Let me repeat that. From 1957 until today, and into 2013, the Federal Government has always been Coaltion. So, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
We slapped the ruling government in the face to give them a wake-up call. Not hard enough - they still have a majority, but at least they can't just screw around with the Constitution anymore. And maybe just enough to ensure they're more respectful of our principles.
What makes you think we can't slap PAS in the face as well? The electorate is beginning to realise our power (about time!), and we are starting to use it.
Can I just point out that Penang was a clear win for DAP? Things are not terribly fantastic here, but they're not an absolute disaster yet either. We'll have to see what happens next. It's too early to call for now.
Anyways, I don't think even Kelantanese take Nik Aziz very seriously. At least, I sure hope not.
The Indians, Chinese and even Malays are wary of the Islamists. But the BN has been running with the hare and hunting with the wolf in this regard. Who prevented the Hindus from buiding their temples? Why do you hardly see a new Christian church? All this and more happened under the noses of the BN. The fact is the Islamic nomenklatura is already embedded at all levels of the government. The BN with its multi-cultural hue provided a convenient cover for their insidious work. I congratulate the Indians and Chinese for seeing through this. PAS is an ullema dominated party, throw them some sops like seperate queues for males and females at supermarkets and they are overjoyed, but Islamists working through the BN are like the Gramscians in the West, with their soporifics lulling everyone to sleep while scaring everyone with the big bad PAS wolf at the door. Their strategic placements and cunning at nodal points ensures that no non-Muslim ever gets an even shake as a citizen.