HAS PAS weaponised US President Donald Trump’s upcoming maiden visit to Malaysia for its political mileage or is its opposition a reflection of righteousness?
This comes about as the Islamist party having upped its ante against Trump stepping foot in the Federal capital to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit slated for Oct 26-28 by ticking off Madani allies Amanah and UMNO for their muted stance on the matter.
Hitting out at Amanah which is deemed a splinter party of PAS, the Islamist party’s deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man chided the former for having previously claimed that “it was a principled and firm party, not just a yes man party which blindly followed orders”.
“In fact, history has it that the Amanah president (Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu) was among the figures who spoke out against Israeli aggression and oppression by condemning the US attitude in the Middle East,” he penned on his Facebook page.
“Where is AMANAH’s firm stance on the Palestinian issue today? Why do they continue to remain silent on Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) inviting Trump to Malaysia as a guest-of-honour when his hands are still stained with the blood of the Palestinian people?”
As for UMNO, Tuan Ibrahim who is also the Kubang Kerian MP and Cheka state assemblyman in Pahang warned that the party’s “silence will only be seen as a sign of approval for Trump’s visit”.
“When the world is condemning the atrocities of Israel with the US support, this silence is very disappointing and will surely hurt the hearts of Muslims in Malaysia who stand in solidarity with their brothers in Palestine,” asserted the religious scholar.
Concerted effort to foil visit
Indeed Tuan Ibrahim’s opposition of Trump’s visit to KL came on the back of the Islamist party’s supremo Tan Sri Hadi Awang having likened PMX’s cordial gesture to the US president as “associating with the de*il”.
Citing Quranic verses and prophetic traditions that caution Muslims against aligning with oppressors, the seven-term Marang MP stressed that Trump had openly supported Israel’s military campaigns against Palestinians.
“These crimes have been established by the International Court of Justice and decided upon by the UN Security Council (UNSC),” the cleric penned on his FB page.
“Yet the US not only used its veto to block all such resolutions but also directly supplied Israel with weapons and military aid at the explicit instruction of Trump.
“After all, Trump is a great de*il who deceives the world by acting as a cruel ‘peacemaker’ by insisting that Palestinians defending their homeland must disarm.”
Opportunity for direct US engagement
On the flip side, the ruling Madani government sees Trump’s presence at the 47th ASEAN Summit as an opportunity for the regional bloc’s member states to directly express their position on the Palestine issue.
“Some have asked why a clearer message (of support for Palestine) wasn’t sent by not inviting (Trump),” Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil told the media after visiting the Sumud Nusantara Operations Centre in Sepang recently.
“Actually, it would be easy for us to ‘boycott’ (the US) but PMX’s approach in many matters is that we need dialogue.”
Moreover, the Madani government spokesman also regarded Trump’s attendance at the summit in as very timely given global perspectives are shifting with more countries moving to support Palestine’s freedom from the Israeli regime’s oppression.
“In recent days, many countries – as we have seen in the (United Nations General Assembly) debates – have had very heated discussions not only about a ceasefire but also about ending the war in Gaza.” – Sept 30, 2025
