News

In recent months, local political talks are centered on leadership crisis in one of the wealthiest state in Malaysia; Selangor. After failure to ask the current Menteri Besar (Chief Minister), Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim from resigning his post; Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has expelled the former from the party on August 9th after a contested disciplinary proceeding took place a day earlier (BERNAMA). This makes Tan Sri Khalid legitimacy as the Menteri Besar becomes questionable as he is now an independent member and unofficially he has lost the majority confidence in the Selangor's state assembly. PKR has stated the reason for decision to remove Tan Sri Khalid from the post is due to his questionable integrity in both personal as well as management of the state.

The Pan Islamic Party (PAS), a member party of ruling coalition which earlier defended Tan Sri Khalid from being removed as Menteri Besar due to lack of justification; in the end looks like have to abide with PKR and make a reverse decision on August 17th by nominating Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail, the President of PKR along with Azmin Ali as the candidate for new Menteri Besar of Selangor (Channel News Asia).

The whole episode might reach its climax by the end of next week when The Sultan of Selangor return from his trip to Budapest and finally make the awaited decision who will ultimately be the new Menteri Besar.

Comment

The current leadership turmoil in Selangor has clearly shown the ugly side of current political system based on democracy for those who choose to think and rationalize what has happened. Unfortunately, it also shows the level of thought within the society and the basis of their rational. Clearly, from the common masses to the top of political leaders, it is self and common interest that dominates decision instead of Islam and Shariah as the sole source of reason.

PAS was earlier making a stand not to replace Tan Sri Khalid as the allegation against him has not been investigated and proven. This remind us to similar PAS stand on championing the cause of those being oppressed when PKR de-factor leader Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked from his Deputy Prime Minister post back in 1998. However, when PAS stated that the reason for making the latest decision not to defend Khalid as Menteri Besar is because Khalid now is not a member of PKR anymore, one start to wonder where the earlier noble cause has gone to?

On other quarters, objections were thrown to the candidacy of Datin Seri Wan Azizah on the basis that she is a women hence cannot become Menteri Besar. There were also notion that she must not be appointed as the chief executive of Selangor's state government as she was not born in Selangor. There were so much reasons and rational being discussed, debated, defended and proposed but none are based on sound Islamic principles. On what Shariah principle an affiliation to a particular party becomes a condition for being elected as leader? Does Islam prohibit us from electing somebody to become leader if he or she was not of local origin? Does gender becomes a question for an executive post?

There is so many wrongs that have happened once we properly analyze the whole situation around this political crisis. But this dire situation where people (majority is Muslim) are not taking what Allah has commanded as the basis of decision making should cause an alarm to our conscience as Muslims.

Allah (swt) condemned ruling by other than all that He (swt) has revealed. Allah (swt) said,

((وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ))

"And judge between them by all that Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires, and beware (O Muhammad) lest they might seduce you from even some of what Allah has sent down to you" [Surah Al-Maaida 5:49].

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Yousuf Idris