Mawi in Kelantan

The invitation by Tuan Guru Haji Nik Abdul Aziz (TGNA) for Mawi to perform in Kelantan generated a heated debate. I have a few comments to make on this matter: Firstly, I do not see why the invitation has to be declared by TGNA himself. Mawi, and concerts in general, are too petty an issue to be talked about by a highly respected figure like TGNA. The announcement, if announcement by a state figure is really necessary, should have been made by a lower ranking official. Can you imagine Jack McConnell declaring that Steve will be performing in Edinburgh, or Rhodri Morgan declaring that Edith will perform in Cardiff? I guess not. Those at the level of chief ministers should be well above making announcement about concerts. Secondly, TGNA stated that the state government is inviting Mawi “sebagai salah satu usaha menarik golongan muda mendekati Islam” (as an effort to attract youths to Islam). He even lambasted those who dared criticizing him by challenging them to do an alternative event for the youths. The Head of PAS Youth Wing supported TGNA’s move. So did PAS Selangor (which is not at all surprising bearing in mind that they only voiced their support once the Ulama Wing voiced disagreement). What I would like to know is, is the concert part of a much bigger plan of actions, with other activities already done previously and follow-up events planned for the future? Or is the concert a one-off event? The significance of this question is, you cannot expect youths to be attracted to Islam by having a concert once in a blue moon, even if t concert is interwoven with religious items. If you are serious about attracting youths to Islam, then there must be a concerted effort, not just an effort to have a concert!!! Sure, it is good to have this concert as part and parcel of bigger picture. But to expect the youths to commit themselves to Islam after attending just one concert is imprudent. The concert is only justifiable if it is done as part of a bigger strategy. Ad hoc actions will never succeed in bringing youths back to Islam. Thirdly is the issue of who’s who in the party and in the state. TGNA is the Chief Minister of Kelantan. He is also the Pesuruhjaya Negeri. And he is also the Mursyidul Am - the highest post in the party, even above the president. For the same person to hold all these posts brings in a serious conflict of roles. As Chief Minister, he is there to govern the state in accordance with party policies. At state level, it is he himself who preside over meetings to formulate the policies. That means as head of administrative systems both at state and party levels, his power is absolute - he reports to himself. Yes, policies formulated by the state committee are under the supervision of PAS central committee. The central committee can overrule the state committee if necessary. But the central committee itself is subject to the supervision of the Majlis Syura Ulama, chaired by TGNA himself! This goes against every norm of good governance which purports the separation of power between policy-makers and the executives. In a public listed company, the best practise would be to separate the post of Chairman and CEO (for a very brief intro, see the first few paragraphs in this report). And usually neither the chairman nor the CEO would even dream about becoming a head of department or head of an operational unit. In the case of Kelantan, the head of an operational department (i.e.: the state) is also the Director of Department (i.e.: Pesuruhjaya), who is supposed to report to the CEO (i.e.: Party President), but in turn, even the President reports to that same person as the Mursyidul Am (equivalent to Chairman?). The head of unit reports to the head of department, who in turn reports to the president, who in turn reports to the chairman. But the same person holds all posts apart from the presidency. How confusing is that? To illustrate how the confusion is endemic among members too, let me ask some questions. When the head of ulama wing disagreed with TGNA, was he disagreeing with the Chief Minister of Kelantan, or the Pesuruhjaya Negeri, or the Mursyidul Am? As Head of Ulama Wing and an important member of Majlis Syura Ulama, Dato Haron has all the rights to bring Pesuruhjaya Negeri to account. But Dato Haron is also a member of the Majlis Syura Ulama chaired by the Mursyidul Am. So, was Dato Haron criticizing his superior or was he criticizing as a superior? And, when TGNA insisted that the concert will proceed, was he talking as the Mursyidul Am, or was he, as Pesuruhjaya Negeri, being disrespectful towards a superior in the central PAS Dewan Harian? Depending on how the members in general perceive the situation, they will also form a perception about Dato Haron's statement. And, add to that the unnecessary “heat” being added by certain PAS leaders and co, it is us in the general membership that is left confused. Without doubt the usual excuse is, all these squabblings is an evidence of how democracy is well and alive within PAS. Well, then, what about good governance? This is, of course, without even mentioning the outcome of the discussion of Majlis Syura Ulama on this matter. Dato Haron was there in the meeting, while some others who were directly involved in this issue were not. Why the deafening silence by those present? In writing all these, I am aware of two things: 1. When PAS governed Terengganu, the Chief Minister was also Pesuruhjaya Negeri and party President. To me, similar conflict existed. 2. All other states under Barisan Nasional do the same. To me, this is no justification. I strongly suggest our party leaders consider separating party posts with political posts. This would alleviate the conflict of interest in governing states / country and party, and foster stronger mechanism of internal check and balance. It will also, hopefully, help prevent unhealthy internal politicking since there is no guarantee that those who hold party posts would eventually also hold political posts. In making this suggestion, I am also aware that the idea has once been considered by the party. Thus, I am merely asking that the idea be re-considered.