KUALA LUMPUR: PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s (pix) statement in his article titled ‘Ketinggian Islam Wajib Dipertahankan’ (Islam’s sanctity must be defended) on Feb 20, which among others, was addressed to the Malay Rulers, has been described as unethical and driven by political interests.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Institution of Malay Rulers Chair fellow Mujibu Abd Muis said in a statement that Abdul Hadi’s remarks, which also touched on the interests of the Malay and Islamic communities as well as the Federal Constitution, merely sought to portray as if only his party was championing the matter.
“Here he is, championing something that is actually not an issue at all, but is being championed conceptually for political mileage, even though it has been clearly enshrined in the constitution since independence that Islam cannot be questioned.
“In fact, efforts to uphold the Islamic principles and strengthen all institutions related to Islam have often been carried out by the Malay Rulers, including after the establishment of the MKI (National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs),“ he told Bernama today.
Earlier, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, through a post on the Selangor Royal Office’s Facebook page today, expressed deep regret over the cynical statement of the Marang MP.
Sultan Sharafuddin remarked that it was a statement that was highly inappropriate and lacked cultural refinement from the perspective of Malay culture, which always respects and upholds decorum when expressing views and advice to the Malay Rulers.
Further commenting on this, Mujibu stated that Abdul Hadi’s statement involving the Malay Rulers was not surprising, considering that the political figure had previously engaged in similar actions towards the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
“In the past, he did the same thing, (continued to give lectures) even though at that time Sultan Mizan expressed his regret, issuing a prohibition against those without religious authority from giving lectures in mosques under the supervision of the Terengganu State Government, but he defied it,“ he said.
Echoing Mujibu’s sentiments, Geostrategist and Senior Fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR), Prof Dr Azmi Hassan, opined that Abdul Hadi was still maintaining a narrative based on race and religion, as seen in several past election campaigns, in order to garner support from the Malay community.
“I don’t see where the logic of his thinking is, as an old-timer, who is also called an ‘ulama’, to come out with a statement touching on the Malay Rulers.
“So his statement is very disappointing, especially considering that he knows the position of the Malay Rulers in safeguarding the interests of all Muslims regardless of political affiliation. The Federal Constitution also protects the sanctity of Islam, so there’s no need to link PAS’s political interests with our monarchy institutions,“ he said.
Azmi stated that if Abdul Hadi had any suggestions or issues regarding Islamic affairs and the Federal Constitution, it would be better to voice them in Parliament in his capacity as a Member of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Dr Jazimin Zakaria, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, UiTM Kedah, said that Abdul Hadi’s action of dragging the Malay Rulers into the political platform was highly inappropriate.
“The position of the Malay Rulers is sensitive, and our political climate is currently unstable, so making statements on such platforms (PAS News website through the ‘Minda Presiden PAS’ column) will only open the door for others to criticise the special position of the Malay Rulers,“ he said. -Bernama
