Shock. Shock. Horror. Horror.

My job at Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit (CPSU) is becoming very exciting. Initially there was a lot of reading to do. It was not easy trying to learn about the whole Commonwealth and its agencies in a very short time. And over the last two weeks, things became even more exciting. I have met with top officials from the Commonwealth Foundation, Commonwealth Secretariat, International Business Leaders Forum, Institute of Business Ethics, World Bank, Commonwealth Business Council etc. And that is not to mention people from some major companies like British American Tobacco, Shell, Barclays, etc. Work-wise, all are going extremely well. On the other hand, last week I was asked a question I have been expecting for quite a while. The question was, what is PAS’ stance if its member joins a British political party that is not based on Islamic principles. And, as expected, a clause was quoted from PAS’ constitution as thus: “Seseorang ahli PAS boleh berhenti atau diberhentikan daripada menjadi ahli apabila memohon atau mengisytiharkan diri keluar daripada PAS, dipecat atau menyertai mana-mana parti politik lain” Hmmm…. I say these are expected because for years, we all have been trained to believe in central command and control (under the pretext of al-wala' and 'amal jama'i) to an extent that it is unthinkable for anyone to do things that have not been prescribed centrally. The notion that individuals have an inherent right to choose is alien to many who grew up in the more "traditional" system of Islamic movement education. But I think I am going to let those who ask, continue asking. I do not yet have the time to write about this "not-based-on-Islamic-principles" issue. (Although I do intend to write something on this topic in the future). The things that are really buzzing in my mind are: 1. if someone has decided that he will stay outside Malaysia for an extended period, why should he stay as a member of PAS? 2. is it appropriate to create a community of PAS members in the UK? Is this not another case of self-segregation which is slowly destroying plural Britain? 3. what can be done to address the issue of Malaysians living in the UK but remaining ignorant of British realities? The "not-based-on-Islamic-principles" argument can only be expected and is a symptom of utter ignorance. I am also keen to see how far these people will go in trying to get me expelled from PAS. Go for it, guys!!! I wonder what colour they will turn into if they know that from 1 May 2006, I will start at the Conservative Research Department (shock! horror!) working on trade and industry policies (gasp!). Don’t forget to breathe, chaps, otherwise you will turn even greener. Apologies for the wikipedia link. I know wikipedia is not that reliable. But it is a reasonable place to start.