PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s views that non-Malays and non-Muslims were the “biggest group of plunderers” are his own and do not represent the overall stance of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dominic Lau pointed out that Hadi was only expressing his personal views on the matter based on his own perception.
“His views on non-Malays and non-Muslims being the ‘biggest plunderers’ are merely his own, based on his perception and personal experiences. They do not represent the overall stance of PN,” Lau was quoted as saying by FMT.
However, Lau said he will raise the issue with Hadi to better comprehend how his perception came to be in the first place and how all parties can work together to dispel such perceptions.
“From there, we can move forward and work together to build confidence between our respective communities,” he said.
According to Lau, it was about “voicing out the right thing at the right time” and that history has indicated that every race and community has its share of “bad apples”.
“But the actions of a few don’t define the entire race and community,” he added.
Lau went on to note that some segments of the non-Malay communities are aggrieved by Hadi’s allegations although he expressed belief that the people are discerning in selecting a government that best represents their interests.
“The performance of our elected and appointed representatives will be the deciding factor of the people’s support for us,” he said, when asked if he was concerned about the direction taken by Hadi and PAS.
Meanwhile, speaking to Malaysiakini, Lau stressed that an individual’s racial background is not a contributing factor to corruption and that all individuals regardless of race have the potential to prosper based on their own efforts.
“I don’t agree that non-Malays are thieves because all individuals will prosper on their own efforts. There were no elements of plundering,” Lau was reported as saying by the news portal.
Yesterday, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng urged Malaysians to lodge police reports against Hadi for making repeated claims against the non-Malays, saying it threatens national unity.
The Bagan MP said Hadi attacks on non-Malays and non-Muslims were provocative and could disrupt, destabilise and destroy the unity government.
He also said failure to counter this “dangerous attempt” to sabotage, undermine and replace the unity government that has won a vote of confidence in Parliament would be “tantamount to being disrespectful to the King and Parliament”. – May 11, 2023
Main pic credit: NSTP
