Dr M: PAS downplaying Umno’s sacrifices by backing communists

By Clara Chooi

September 04, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has accused PAS of glorifying communists in hopes of reducing public gratitude towards Umno for defeating the British and achieving independence for Malaya.

But the former prime minister predicted the more experienced politicians in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would not accept this strategy as it erodes support from those who struggled for independence.

Dr Mahathir (picture) pointed to DAP chairman Karpal Singh as case in point, for his rejection of Mohamad Sabu’s remarks on the Bukit Kepong tragedy in 1950. In a ceramah speech recently, the PAS deputy president had reportedly labelled the attackers on the Bukit Kepong police station as “freedom fighters”.

In his response, Karpal had urged Mohamad to retract his statement, saying it had invited too much negative publicity towards PR.

“Karpal’s behaviour was very strange. But in actual fact, Karpal, as an efficient politician, is aware that the anger of the country’s security forces towards Mat Sabu’s remarks could reduce their support for Pakatan.

“That is why he quickly made the statement to reduce anger towards Mat Sabu and save Pakatan a little,” Dr Mahathir wrote in a posting on his blog yesterday.

But he said PAS was still bent on downplaying Umno to gain political power in the coming general election.

He claimed that in its attempt to beat Umno in the polls, PAS decided to abandon its original goal of turning Malaysia into an Islamic state and implementing Hudud laws in the country.

“PAS hopes that with DAP’s support, it will beat Umno in the 13th general election. And whatever the stand of PAS’s leaders, it will not affect the loyalty of its members because of their fanaticism.

“But don’t everyone else be blinded by PAS’s willingness and also PKR’s, to refute all of Umno’s contributions simply for the sake of gaining DAP’s support and that of the Chinese community,” he said.

He claimed that there were past efforts by PAS leaders to do the same and added that even PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself had promised to allow Chin Peng back into Malaysia should he become the country’s next prime minister.

Dr Mahathir however said this strategy is “unhealthy” for PR as it would only make the country’s security forces and their families alienated. “PAS today is willing to ignore Islam because of its craze for power and for Putrajaya,” he said.