DESPITE previous friction with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during his first tenure as prime minister, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said he and the former Pejuang chairman had many shared common grounds now.
Following a recent meeting with Dr Mahathir, Hadi took to Facebook to describe the 97-year-old politician as a statesman with great experience, having been involved in politics since before independence and serving as prime minister twice.
“Despite his (Mahathir) many past wrongs against PAS, there are many common grounds that must be taken into account to unite and fulfil shared duties in Islam,” the Marang MP penned.
“Among the discussions was how it’s a must for Malay Muslims to unite as Malaysia’s majority original residents and a majority in the multicultural society.”
According to Hadi, there is a need to distinguish and explain differences between how Islam embraces nationalism as a concept according to God’s rules and its role in society, and how it is actually practised today as an ideology.
His statement came following media reports of the meeting on Tuesday (May 2) night where he, alongside several other PAS leaders, had signed Dr Mahathir’s “Malay People’s Proclamation”, a document which urged Malays to unite to “save” their race.
Among the attendees were PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan and vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faisal Azumu, information chief Datuk Razali Idris and Supreme Council member Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid also signed the proclamation in their personal capacities.
The Malay People’s Proclamation is a 12-point document that claimed that the Malays never controlled the economy and have “lost” political control.
It also stated that the Malay race has to be “revived” and “saved” by uniting Malays by putting aside their political differences. – May 4, 2023
Main pic credit: Facebook/Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) Pusat
