Religion and politics: The search for political legitimacy of the Pan-Islamic party of Malaysia

The admixture of religion and politics in the contemporary political thought has not been given prime importance due to the absence of socio-political writings by many scholars. Religion and politics have been constructed as two mutually exclusive areas, and hence any possible insight on the viability of religion manifested as political power has rarely been seen as the legitimate expression of a people in opposing any existing political order, government, or regime.;Realizing the above deficiency, this study attempts to delineate the position of religion as the most viable means of legitimacy. The centrality of religion in perpetuating and articulating certain characteristics that form political attitudes towards government and foes of the government has been found as primordially sanctioned under religious sentiment. As a result, the perception of a group towards its opponents has always been molded by religious sentiment.;This study focuses on the Pan-Islamic Party of Malaysia's (PAS) quest for political legitimacy in Malaysia. In portraying the Party's struggle under the name of Islam, the study also traces the historical concept of legitimacy as practiced and perpetuated in Malaysia. In this, the author seeks to construct the argument that religious factors have been the main paradigm in the ruling class' search for political legitimacy in the Malay world. However, religion was also used as the main factor in launching resistance against colonialism, which was primarily considered a threat to the inviolability of religious life amongst the Malays.;The theme of political legitimacy imbued by religious meanings has continuously been upheld by the PAS, the Party that overtly proclaims strict adherence to the dictates of Islamic principles. In proclaiming its theme, PAS finds itself face to face with the challenge of UMNO (United Malay National Organization), the biggest Muslim party and the main party leading the present government. The rivalry between these two Muslim parties has always been a source of tension since the independence of the country. Both have relied to a considerable degree on Islamic principles in their effort to proclaim their political legitimacy.