THE tit-for-tat between DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) and its PAS counterparts over the concert saga continues, with the debate now turning to the quality of parliamentary debates from its lawmakers.
It all started on Friday (Aug 19) when PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari took to Facebook to warn organisers of concerts in Malaysia not to “challenge the emotions of Muslims”.
While he did not mention any concert in particular, the Pasir Mas MP’s statement came barely one day after American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish’s concert at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Ahmad Fadhli said the “continuous holding” of concerts in Malaysia would “invoke the anger of God”, leading DAPSY chief Dr Kelvin Yii yesterday (Aug 20) to urge PAS to stop interfering with the constitutional rights of non-Malays and non-Muslims.
Yii added that Ahmad Fadhli’s statement shows how “bankrupt” PAS is of ideas and further illustrates that PAS has “nothing else constructive” to offer to Malaysians besides “creating animosity” in a multicultural society like Malaysia.
Yesterday evening, Fadhli told the Bandar Kuching MP and his party to reflect on themselves first before pointing fingers at PAS, claiming that DAP MPs “bring no new ideas when debating in Parliament”.
“Instead, they bring rubbish,” Free Malaysia Today (FMT) quoted him as saying. “These kinds of people should take a good look in the mirror and take note of the performance of their MPs.”
This prompted Yii to urge Ahmad Fadhli to look at the official Hansards from Parliament to “know the difference” between PAS and DAP debates in Parliament.
“Want to compare the quality of debates between DAP and PAS?” Yii asked on Twitter late last night.
“I vividly remember how PAS MPs brought up the issues of air stewardess outfits, Netflix censorship and short skirts, besides insulting the Bible – all just in this (Parliamentary) term alone.”
“Red herring”
Meanwhile, DAPSY Kuala Lumpur publicity secretary Raja Ahmad Iskandar Fareez said Ahmad Fadhli’s call to ban concerts was a “red herring” to “cover up the failures” of PAS ministers and deputy ministers in the Government.
He claimed that Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (both PAS leaders) have “thwarted” the progress of Malaysia’s climate and environment agenda that was previously championed by Pakatan Harapan.
“On the other hand, Deputy Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh was ineffective when the country underwent severe disruptions to the food supply chain that led to the skyrocketing prices of goods,” he further alleged.
Raja Ahmad Iskandar added that even though PAS is gearing up for the 15th General Elections (GE15), Ahmad Fadhli should “know better than to fan religious anxieties among communities” to “compensate for their dearth of ideas on how to improve the lives of everyday Malaysians”.
“Finally, in his exuberance to assume the role of moral police and ban concerts, I would like to ask the PAS Youth chief this question: Would this moral grandstanding waver just like how his opposition towards cinemas changes to suit his needs?”
He was referring to Ahmad Fadhli’s recent decision to watch the hit movie Mat Kilau at a cinema in Kuala Lumpur, even as his party deems cinemas as haram (forbidden) and its ruling state of Kelantan has no cinemas.
At the time, PAS Youth defended Ahmad Fadhli by saying the movie did not promote “immorality” and its characters were dressed modestly, which it said meant it was not haram. – Aug 21, 2022
Main photo credit: The Star
