I WAS sitting down to write my Hari Raya Aidilfitri message to Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims when I read PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang’s ferocious attack on DAP and me.
I do not know why Hadi has chosen Hari Raya Adilfitri to launch his attack on DAP and me
I have retired from DAP front-line leadership politics for more than a year and I cannot and do not respond on behalf of the DAP leadership but I cannot leave Hadi’s ferocious attacks on me unanswered.
Hadi is not a profound fake as it is easy to expose his dependence on lies, falsehoods and fake news for his arguments as evidenced by the following four events:
- After the 15th General Election (GE15), he accused DAP of promoting Islamophobia. It is now five months since he made the preposterous allegation – and despite my many challenges – he had not been able to furnish an iota of evidence to substantiate his wild allegation.
He is the only political leader in Malaysia who make allegations without evidence:
- During the Teluk Intan by-election in May 2014, Hadi reminded PAS members that DAP had helped PAS when the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition tried to oust the party from ruling Kelantan during the 1977 Kelantan Emergency.
He said although there were so many things different between DAP and PAS – like what is halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden) as in the case of alcohol, pork and hudud – the two parties agree with each other in eradicating poverty, cruelty and corruption, among others. Was DAP promoting Islamophobia in coming to PAS’ help in 1977?
- Hadi should know by now that DAP was not the mastermind or had anything to do with the 2018 episode when the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government under the then prime minister (PM) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had tried to ratify the International Covenant of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).
Is Hadi going to apologise for his ferocious attacks on DAP as the “mastermind” of the attempted ratification?
- Since 2018, Hadi has not been able to cite a single a case of the 55 out of 57 Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) Muslim countries where Islam was undermined or a single case of the 36 out of 38 countries with monarchical system where the monarchical system was affected as a result of the ratification of ICERD?
After four such major blunders, what credibility has Hadi left for not speaking truthfully and honestly based on facts and truth but instead based on lies, falsehoods and fake news?
Hadi has repeated the allegation that I am a communist time and again for which he could not furnish any evidence.
If I am a communist, why didn’t the Home Ministry arrest me when Perikatan Nasional (PN) was in government under two “backdoor” PMs for 32 months from 2020 to 2022?
I have never been a communist but Hadi insists that I am one. When did he discover that?
But a communist is not being a devil incarnate as Hadi should be aware that the Saudi Arabia-Iran deal was brokered by a communist – Xi Jinping who is president of Communist China.
Is Hadi and PAS against Malaysia having close relations with Communist China?
I always believe that Malaysia can play a global role and one of these roles is to be a model state to the world of inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisational understanding, tolerance and harmony!
Does Hadi agree? Hadi has no objection if Malaysia ends up as a divided, failed and kleptocratic state.
I disagree. for I see Malaysia as having the potential to be one of the world’s achievers and models.
On the auspicious occasion of one of the most important religions in the world – despite all the wrong and false conceptions of DAP and me – I have no harsh words for Hadi and I wish Hadi and PAS “Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf zahir dan batin!”
Let all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri and show that we can be a role model for the world for inter-racial, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisational understanding, tolerance and harmony.
Hadi’s example is not to be followed if we want to play such a role model for the world. – April 22, 2023
Veteran lawmaker and retired DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang is the incumbent MP for Iskandar Puteri.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
