The story
- Malay · borrowed fromlebai“someone who knows a lot about religion, a religious expert”
- English todaylebai
Borrowed from Malay lebai (“someone who knows a lot about religion, a religious expert”). The extended sense of "a supporter or member of PAS" was used by opponents to mock the conservative Islamic party's obsession with religious issues, carried over from Malay-language usage.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.