“PAS open door to non-muslim……already a big move,” – Hu Pang Chow

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Despite pressing calls for PAS to make its non-Muslim PAS Supporters Congress (DHPP) a full-fledged wing, congress chairman Hu Pang Chow believes the Islamist party still is not ready for the move.

In an interview with The Star Online, Hu said it was still early for the party to do so as the congress was set up just three years ago.

“Meanwhile, PAS was formed in 1951 on a basis that all its members must be Muslims. This was the first time that it had opened its doors to non-Muslims, which is already a big move,” he said.

Hu, who leads the congress which consists of more than 20,000 members nationwide, said PAS was still adapting to a different culture brought by the congress members.

“Muslims have these things called haram and halal, what they can’t eat or drink. For the non-Muslims, there’s no such thing as that. So it takes time to adapt to this new culture,” he said.

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh had recently said that the Islamist party should allow non-Muslims to become full-fledged party members, where they will have the right to vote in party elections.

He said the party should show its sincerity by opening its doors to the DHPP as full-fledged members, as such a move will bring PAS into the fold of multiracial political parties in the country.

“But we can’t expect change to happen in three years. I think it is already a huge achievement for the Islamist party to have the support of the non-Muslims. This is something even Umno can’t do,” Hu said.

Hu was one of the non-Muslim candidates fielded by PAS in the May 5 general election in Ayer Hitam parliamentary constituency, a first time in the party’s history. However, he lost to the incumbent from Barisan Nasional, Datuk Wee Ka Siong, by a 7,310-vote majority.

Hu called it a “bold decision” to bring non-Muslims onboard as support from them has been on the rise since 2008.

“It (the strategy) works and I think now Umno is worried why the non-Muslims and non-Malays can support PAS but not Umno, although both parties were set up for Malays and Muslims,” he said.

Hu, a 58-year-old former teacher who was born in Alor Setar, Kedah, has spent almost 40 years in Kelantan teaching in a Chinese primary school.

In an hour-long interview, Hu also talked about his attempts to bring back the Malay support to the Opposition by zooming in the Malay heartland of Johor -TheStarOnline