Hadi's Remarks Irresponsible, Playing On Racial, Religious Sentiments - Observers

By Aisha Hani Nor Azmir

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang's remarks describing non-Muslim leaders in government as becoming arrogant is irresponsible as well as seeking to play racial and religious sentiments, according to political observers.

In his remarks at the 65th PAS Youth Assembly in Kerdau, Temerloh, yesterday, the Marang Member of Parliament also claimed that Malay-Muslim leaders in the government were unable to control their fellow non-Muslim leaders.

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Senior Lecturer from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kedah, Tunku Nashril-Abaidah, said the remarks were an attempt to attract attention and divert focus from the real issues at hand.

Describing Abdul Hadi's remarks as amounting to flogging a dead horse, he said they did not have a significant impact on the government.

“Overall, the government leadership, whether Malay, non-Malay, Muslim, or non-Muslim, is good. We must understand that today's government is a united team comprising (people from) various backgrounds, and of course, they will have different views and perspectives.

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“I feel that it is something necessary for us to celebrate, as long as it does not cause harm to the country as a whole,” he told Bernama.

Echoing his views is Senior Lecturer from the Political Science, Public Administration and Development Studies Department, Universiti Malaya, Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub who said that Abdul Hadi's statement gave an inaccurate picture of the relationship between leaders in the MADANI Government.

He believes the depiction was deliberately created to disrupt the harmonious relationship and cooperation between Muslim and non-Muslim leaders in the government.

“I see that all leaders from various component parties respect the advice, reprimands and views of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in multiple contexts. 

“The leaders of the (political) parties in the Unity Government are very open to differences of opinion and are not reckless in dealing with (their) differences,” he said.

He said this scenario differs from the Perikatan Nasional. When there are different views involving non-Muslim leaders from Gerakan, the Muslim Malay leadership seeks to drive them away and asks the party to leave the coalition.

Mohammad Tawfik described such actions as being harsh, extreme and immature politics.

Meanwhile, PKR's Department of Religious Understanding and Strengthening  (JPPA) Director Amidi Abdul Manan described the PAS President as arrogant in labelling the Malay-Muslim leadership in the government as weak and suggested Abdul Hadi look at himself in the mirror.

“⁠He (Abdul Hadi) forgot that he also followed the wishes of his allies to disobey the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's (Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah) orders to resolve the 'hung parliament' crisis in 2022.

“⁠He continued to defend his political ties with Tan Sri Muhyiddin (Yassin) when the latter criticised His Majesty Sultan Abdullah.

“The arrogance of an ulama is very dangerous to the ummah. We want to see the courage of the PAS President to correct matters that are partly caused by him in arrogantly labelling other leaders as weak,” he said in a statement.

Amidi further said that Abdul Hadi also did not say anything when Bersatu Supreme Leadership Council member and Putrajaya Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin accused Anwar of being a sodomiser without bringing forth four witnesses as prescribed by the Quran.

He said Abdul Hadi is powerless and weak to stop the contamination of thought that can plunge people to the khawarij (way of) thinking in his party, as well as weak in cleaning up elements of misbehaviour and integrity damage taking place in his own family.

-- BERNAMA