And here is what the prime minister thinks of secularism - “Sometimes these politicians will say that if Anwar becomes prime minister then Islam will be ruined, secularism and communism will gain a foothold, and LGBT will be recognised.

“This is a delusion. Of course, it will not happen and God willing, under my administration, this is not going to happen,” the Malay Mail Online reported Anwar as saying.

Now, to be fair to the prime minister, he did define secularism here in a more “moderate way” - “There is no issue about complete separation of state and religion because Islam is the religion of the federation, but it is not a theocratic state where you can impose Islamic laws on everybody, including non-Muslims.”

Limited secularism?

Keep in mind that this moderate form of secularism does not apply to unilateral conversion or the banning of words, films and any other things that would offend the sensitivities of Muslims in this country.

Hence, to claim that Islamic imperatives would not be imposed on non-Muslims is complete horse manure. It certainly does not apply to the new media bill which nobody voted for because they are cowards and charlatans, but non-Muslims were told this bill was needed to maintain stability and of course "think of the children".

These days, it is Putrajaya who is pursuing the Federal Territories Mufti Bill which would radically transform the powers of the religious far right in this country. This is something that PAS dreams of. This is something the deep Islamic state has been preparing for.

The bill is best defined by Sisters in Islam – “The Mufti Bill, which grants unelected officials the power to legislate without transparency or due process, exemplifies the dangerous erosion of democratic principles and constitutional rights.

“Such laws risk undermining the fundamental freedoms of Malaysians, fostering a culture of control rather than empowerment, and silencing diverse perspectives crucial for a progressive society.”

Keep in mind that the bill comes on the heels of a recent Federal Court ruling which struck down 16 criminal syariah provisions in Kelantan.

The Federal Court ruling is perhaps one of the strongest rejections by the diminishing centre-right establishment of the theocratic agenda, pushed by political operatives like PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Theocrats do not like pushback and when this happens, they stir the pot even more. What this Federal Court ruling has demonstrated is that there are still constraints from the federal government.

When people say the atmosphere is charged, what they are really saying is that the people against this Federal Court ruling are spooked.

Now isn't the mufti bill, something that PAS desires? Think about it this way. Can anyone point to overt differences in religious policies when it comes to PAS and the government?

When a PAS operative decided to ban lotto shops in Kedah, what was the response from the federal government? What was Madani’s response to the caning of syariah offences in Johor?

What was Madani's response to rainbow-coloured Swatch watches? What was Madani's response to the socks controversy? What was Madani’s response to unilateral conversion? What was Madani's response when Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh viciously attacked a non-Muslim member of its coalition?

In 2017, while still incarcerated and Hadi was on a rampage using Act 355 to stake the religious high ground, as reported in the press, Anwar was not against the idea merely that he had his own ideas about strengthening religious law in this country. We now know what those ideas are.

In times of economic uncertainty, it benefits PAS to portray itself as an outsider. It gets to point to a convenient scapegoat - the Chinese community by demonising the DAP and playing the victim card when it comes to the way this government persecutes its political rivals. In or out of government, PAS is getting exactly what it wants.

Rational Malaysians are merely getting a view of the shape of things to come.