“Those who are determined to be ‘offended’ will discover a provocation somewhere. We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is degrading to make the attempt.”

- Christopher Hitchens, British-American author and journalist

COMMENT | As reported by Malaysiakini, PKR vice-president and cabinet member Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said, “At the end of the day, we can’t outflank Perikatan Nasional in terms of playing the Malay card or the Islamic card, because we know that that is their comparative advantage in a way”.

When I read this, all I could think about was the prime minister presiding over the conversion ceremony of a young Hindu.

When the current prime minister presided over the conversion of this Hindu youth, he was representing the religious reality that non-Muslims face in this country. He was not merely welcoming a new convert into the religion, he was reinforcing religious narratives. This is the main agenda of the far-right.

And this is the problem with the political discourse. Nik Nazmi says Pakatan Harapan should “not abandon its ideals and risk losing the coalition’s core supporters in an attempt to win over far-right opposition voters”.

This sounds good but first Harapan has to demonstrate what exactly those ideals and principles are and how they differ from what the far-right offers...