Asri wants all to reject dirty politics

Asri, encourages all parties and the public to hold a large gathering to state their hatred for dirty politics. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — An influential Muslim cleric called today for all parties to come together and reject dirty and obscene politics on the back of a video that surfaced on Monday allegedly showing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim having sex with a Chinese prostitute.

Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said in a statement that Malaysians with dignity as civilised humans must protest the “dirty and ugly culture among politicians and the media of the country.” “We must fight obscene politics that tries to disgrace others,” said the former Perlis mufti.

Opposition Leader Anwar has denied being the man in the video and accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein of being involved in the emergence of the video.

This claim gained credence when former Umno Youth chief Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik admitted that businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay, Perkasa treasurer Datuk Shuib Lazim and himself were collectively the mysterious “Datuk T” behind Monday’s screening of the 21-minute sex video. The former Malacca chief minister had said that he and Shazryl wanted to show that “a person who wants to be national leader and PM was not qualified.”

PKR has also claimed that the “Datuk T” trio met with Najib in Parliament on Wednesday but Najib had on Friday night denied Umno’s involvement in the affair and called for the public and police to focus on the central issue of finding out who the man in the video was.

Asri, who has a large following among Muslims here, encouraged all parties and segments of the public to hold a large gathering to state their hatred for dirty politics.

The Universiti Sains Malaysia professor of Islamic studies said that all parties on both sides of the political divide should stop the practice of personal attacks to disgrace their enemies that does not involve oppressing the public.

“This is a disgusting, sinful and dirty act. Whether it is slander or if it is exposing personal embarrassments. This is not a sign of intellectual strength of the part of the exposer but that he only takes advantage of other people’s weaknesses or victimises them,” the maverick scholar said.
He also called on the media to be a dignified forum instead of contributing or encouraging dirty politics and for the public to shun media outlets that did so.

Asri said that politicians who were of questionable virtue should be chased out of the political scene as they were inclined to exploit the personal weaknesses of others rather than build on their own strengths. - Malaysian Insider