PAS leaders lambasted Umno for giving Islam a bad image, urging all Malaysians not to be confused by the BN shadow play and leave the ruling coalition before it destroys the country with its corruption, scare-mongering tactics, racial and religious politicking.
“This is what has been haunting our nation for decades since we achieved independence. Umno has been making use of the special position of the Malays as a weapon to cling to power and to rob the wealth of the nation under the guise of special rights for the Malays and Bumiputera,” PAS president Hadi Awang said in a statement.
Chua confused because of Umno
The Islamist party was dragged into the fray following comments by MCA president Chua Soi Lek last week that it was competition between Umno and PAS for the Malay vote that had undermined the economic potential of the country.
Chua went on to say that most Muslim nations tended to be backward, pointing at Somalia and Ethiopia as examples. He also took a swipe at PAS while praising the BN for its "moderate and pragmatic" policies. “Do not be too optimistic that once PAS rules the government, the country will be free from corruption and other problems. Bear in mind, some of the most corrupted countries are Muslim-majority countries,” said Chua.
The BN leader was immediately chastised by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. He was even publicly called a "sex video actor" by Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali for insulting Islam.
However, PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa said it was Umno who should be blamed for Chua’s confusion. He took the Malay nationalist party to task for giving a false impression of Islam to the non-Mulsims because of the way it conducted itself and the country.
“The concerns that Chua raised are erroneous. The mismanagement in Malaysia has got nothing to do with Islam. It has got to do with Umno leaders who have been abusing their power and placing priority on chasing for corrupt deals. They have utterly failed to implement Islamic principles in the way they administer the country,” said Nasharuddin.
Even the Malays are being victimized
The PAS leaders also reiterated their commitment to forge a new policy where the rights of the minorities in the country would be defended and not allowed to be used to gain political mileage whenever it was expedient to do so.
They warned that even the Malays were not safe from Umno’s abuse of political power, pointing to Kelantan and Terengganu, where 95 percent of the populations were Muslim-Malays, but still ended up being victimized and deliberately kept poor and backward.
“Yet Umno has dared to confiscate the oil royalties belonging to the people in these two states,” said Hadi.
“To all Malays in the country who are still with Umno, now is the time to make the vital decision for the future of our children and the generations to come. Join PAS to effect change that is fair, that is in accordance with Islam for all.
“To all Malaysians, leave Umno-BN now and join us at PAS and Pakatan to effect together a transformation. Let us leave behind the politics of fear and work together to revamp our judiciary, install freedom of the media, a fair elections system, safety and security for the nation, restore justice and peace to Malaysia."
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