Recently PAS has proposed that only a Muslim can become the prime minister (PM) of this country. In response to that, Lim Guan Eng, the DAP secretary-general and the CM of Penang, was reported to have said that the non-Malays/Muslims have never wanted to be PM to begin with.

Since then, a writer has taken Guan Eng to task, arguing that to accept such a proposition from PAS is to accept the ‘inferior’ position of non-Malays/Muslims, i.e. they will never truly be citizens in this country.

I think it is convenient to disagree with Guan Eng if one is idealistic and the ‘ivory tower’ type. After all, the notion of equality, fairness and meritocracy are always lurking in the minds of many. In this time and age, it is quite unthinking to have one’s race and religion determining his/her suitability and acceptability to assume the highest office of the land.

But Malaysia is in interesting times. We know Guan Eng is not capitulating on behalf of the non-Muslims in general and the non-Muslims natives in Sabah and Sarawak in particular. He is being wise, practical and realistic.

I think the whole wide world knows certain political parties are just playing the racial and religious games to the hilt. Should we fight fire with fire or should we take the wind out of their sails by playing cool and innocent?

Malay privileges and now a Muslim PM do not really guarantee anything. More often than not, these are mere conduits serving Malay ruling elites wanting to sustain their own privileges and power. They can talk hauntingly, but we know this is just a farce.

You and I know in any privilege system, it can’t serve the majority. If the majority get to enjoy the privileges, then it is no longer a privilege. Ultimately, it is always the well-connected, the politicians and the senior government servants who shall enjoy such privileges.

The race or the religion of a PM can’t assure us he will do things favourable to his race or religion. It is his character and the governance standard he upholds.

Right now, we know the Malay ruling elites have to increase a little more the dosage on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Muslimness’. The Malay privileges stratagem has gradually lost its bite because the majority of the Malays are finding life equally tough for them as for others. Hence the second phase - the Muslim PM ploy which hopefully will prolong their life cycle a little longer.

How then should non-Muslims, in particular the DAP, react to PAS’ proposition - by asserting that a non-Muslim has every right to become the PM of Malaysia? I think that would have been too easy and too predictable.

I think there is a more palatable but cogent reaction to PAS’ trap.

This country has always had a Muslim PM and the trend is likely to continue because Muslims are the majority. The issue really is not any Muslim becoming PM, but a ‘right’ Muslim. Once a right Muslim has become the PM, there is no necessity for a non-Muslim to vie for the post. If we can accept there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Christians, I think we should be able to accept there are ‘good’ Muslims and ‘bad’ Muslims.

While PAS can demand that only a Muslim can become PM, others should not react negatively, but instead just focus on promoting and supporting a right Muslim to assume the highest post of the land.

It is perfectly all right for non-Muslims to be power brokers at this juncture of our history. Label me a defeatist if you would, I am no longer that idealistic.