Malaysiakini : Maszlee Malik stunned a long list of party veterans by emerging top in the race for the PKR's central leadership council (MPP) during the party’s leadership election in May.

This was widely touted as an achievement because Maszlee was a greenhorn in PKR politics as he had been a member for just six months. Moreover, Maszlee is not part of any established faction nor was he endorsed by any top party leader.

Maszlee polled 1,091 votes from the 2,265 party delegates, edging the outgoing PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasrullah Nasir by 135 votes.  For Maszlee, the PKR leadership election showed that its members are "mature" and are able to vote without a "cai" (voting guide) and evaluate even those without a faction.

"Honestly, I am still trying to understand the tune of the recent PKR election," Maszlee told Malaysiakini candidly during a recent interview.

AntiCorrupt: Same fellow who introduced JAWI during his tenure as Education Minister

Hang Babeuf : Any party that needs Mazlee to rejuvenate it is already doomed and dead.

Proarte : Maszlee did not distinguish himself in Pakatan Harapan as Education Minister. He was not seen to be focussing on what what important in improving the dire state of our education system. He allowed himself to be an object of ridicule by making inane comments which were pick led up by the media and they went to town with it in demolishing his credibility. Well all remember his policy about "black shoes and white shoes" for school students - it showed he was not focussing on his remit as Education Minister.

The Rakyat were expecting more erudite and sophisticated pronouncements from him, but this he signally failed to come up with. It could be that the media including Malaysiakini were highlighting on the trivia of his policy speeches or off the cuff comments and not focussing on the substance which may have been beneficial for the education system as a whole.

Maszlee is to be blamed though for not actively deflecting the negative publicity he had cultivated by his own inane comments; so it seemed that he indeed was below par in capability. He had a doctorate degree and projected himself as a "Muslim Liberal" and therefore more was expected of him from the public who were desperate to see a minister who was going to address the atrocious decline in our educational standards across the board in our schools, even at a tertiary level.

Maszlee did not help his cause when he made a highly disturbing and insensitive comment to teachers in Sarawak of all places - that they should use their position as teachers in schools to be avenue for "Medan Dakwah Islam" or "Islamic Evangelism" ! Sarawak has healthy relations between the races and religions unlike other states in Malaysia because historically UMNO as a racist ruling party from West Malaysia has never been allowed to have a foothold there.

Importantly also, Islam is not the state religion in Sarawak. To talk about using schools to spread Islam was another blow to his liberal and intellectual reputation prior to his involvement in politics. He was advocating a policy which was highly dangerous for the future of plural Sarawak. It also made PH supporters suspicious of his focus as Education Minister - did he see schools as a means to spread his personal religion, Islam? Was he part of the "Islamic Deep State"?

The question remains as to why he joined Mahathir's racist Bersatu when he feels "uncomfortable" with racial politics? It seems to be an afterthought as he attempts to rebuild his career in PKR. If Maszlee is sincere and contrite, then he will have a positive role to play but he really needs to outline what his policies are on education, the role of Islam in a multi-religious society with secular based laws, and his prescription for ending racial politics in Malaysia. Will the really Maszlee please stand up?