PERHAPS the time has come for the relevant authorities to contemplate dissolving PAS on grounds of their extremist ideology – the same way the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) was disbanded over their radical struggle.
Such was the view of Global Human Rights Federation (GHRF) president S. Shashi Kumar after the latest statement by the Islamic party’s president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, who accused non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras of being the “root causes” of corruption in the country.
“He (Hadi) has defamed and (verbally) attacked non-Muslims… This has happened many times,” Shashi told FocusM.
“By right, political parties like PAS should be dissolved like MCP as such parties are not aligned with our Federal Constitution nor the tenets of the Rukun Negara,” he claimed.
Shashi also noted that no reported action was taken against Hadi even though it has been one week since he issued his controversial statement last Saturday (Aug 20).
“We, therefore, demand the relevant authorities take stern action against Hadi under the Sedition Act 1948, Communications and Multimedia Act 1988 and Section 505 of the Penal Code for causing public mischief by stirring up racial sentiments, causing disunity and disharmony among fellow Malaysians.”
Hadi had claimed that corruption must be eradicated in a holistic manner, calling it a “disease” and labeling those who commit graft as “sinners”.
“These groups who chase illicit gains are the ones who eventually control the economy,” he alleged. “They then damage our politics as they are the roots for corruption, and the majority of them are non-Muslims and non-Bumiputras.”
Hadi has since come under fire for his inflammatory remarks, from both opposition and Government parties.
Police reports to be lodged en masse
GHRF, alongside various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and concerned members of the public, are scheduled to lodge police reports en masse at the Sentul District police headquarters at 1pm tomorrow (Aug 28) against Hadi for his defamatory remarks on non-Muslims.
Shashi claimed PAS has “not done anything good” for Malaysians going through a tough time to put food on the table post the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With PAS’ extremist, fanatic and racist ideology, Malaysia will only regress further,” added the leader of the NGO which fights against racism, supremacist policies, religious persecution, double standard law enforcement, discrimination and oppression of minority groups.
He also noted that as a leader of an Islamic party, it is wrong for Hadi to defame others without evidence, adding that most faiths are against doing so.
“Hadi is only bringing shame to the religion,” Shahsi alleged further. “There is much evidence of PAS’ attacks on non-Muslim faiths and beliefs with their extremist, racist, fanatic statements, the latest by calling on bans on concerts by foreign celebrities.”
He was referring to PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari’s ongoing tirade against the “continuous holding” of concerts in Malaysia, which he said would “invoke the anger of God”.
With such statements often cropping up from the party, it is as if PAS members are the “only people living in Malaysia”, Shashi remarked.
However, Malaysia is a secular nation, even if Islam is the official religion, and the country is a multi-racial and multi-cultural one, he pointed out. – Aug 27, 2022
Main photo credit: The Star
