By Joan Lau ( The Malaysian Insider ) If somebody had predicted back in 1999 that Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) would one day enjoy the support of non-Muslims in the country, he or she would have been laughed out of the room. After all, the fear of the green tide (PAS is closely associated with the Islamic colour) was what kept diehard opposition supporters from voting for the DAP in the 1999 general election. That year, DAP had joined forces with PAS, Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia to challenge Barisan Nasional under the Barisan Alternatif banner. DAP turned out to be the biggest loser in the election that saw Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh vanquished. PAS was the biggest winner that year as it took Terengganu as well as Kelantan which it first took control of in 1990. Malaysians then — not just non-Muslims but any Malaysian fearing the curtailing of his/her civil liberties should PAS take over — simply could not accept PAS. And the fact that it now had two states made the
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