COMMENT PAS MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, like his compatriot Khalid Samad, is one of the more thoughtful parliamentarians around.

The pair’s faith in persuasion through reasoned argument is probably why they are foremost among Pakatan Rakyat politicians opposition-supporting members of the intelligentsia desire to see well placed in a future government.

With them empowered, events - untoward incidents, sleeper issues that suddenly ignite, and other exigencies apt to trouble a sitting government - won’t be in the saddle and ride the Pakatan government.

Which is why the squirm that Dzulkefly went through in a panel discussion on ‘National Unity through Religion, Law and Shared Values’ during the 5th National Congress on Unity organised by the UCSI University on Malaysia Day was distressing to watch.

The cause of the writhing was the Islamic state objective of his party that came up in a panel discussion at which Dzulkefly was the invited speaker...