KUALA LUMPUR: PAS Youth and its counterpart in PKR are again at odds over Islamic matters, with the latter calling for a forum to iron out the Islamist party’s controversial anti-Valentine’s Day stance.
PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin also hinted that the position taken by PAS on the matter can subject their Pakatan Rakyat coalition to attacks by rivals Barisan Nasional which has been attempting to paint PAS as extremists in the eyes of the non-Malay voters.
“A forum is needed among Pakatan Youth wings to achieve an understanding and a common policy without denying that we differ in approach,” he said in a statement.
PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hasan Tantawi sparked an uproar within his own coalition when he called for a crackdown on Muslims celebrating Valentine’s Day.
However, Nasrudin Hasan was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), a news agency, as saying that he was misquoted.
He has since been on damage-control. While insisting that it was wrong for Muslims to celebrate the Feb 14 event, he now called for a “dakwah (preaching)” approach to the subject in a bid to make Muslims celebrating the day repent.
This had upset Pakatan secular ally, DAP, which said that PAS’ position on the subject is not part of the pact’s formalised policy.
Shamsul’s statement comes amid fears that the debacle may spoil Pakatan’s image among the non-Malay voters.
Ironically, he blamed the fiasco on BN’s Malay lynchpin Umno.
“For 54 years under Umno’s rule, Islam is seen as rigid and under constant threat, and at the same time, the paths to solutions are only limited to a parochial few”.
Realising this, Shamsul said that it was important that Pakatan Youth wings handle the issue carefully so that a more constructive solution can be taken.
“PKR Youth is convinced that the spirit of brotherhood in engaging each other proves our readiness to accept our differences and provide the best policies to the voters,” he said.(By Syed Jaymal Zahiid)
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