PAS guarantees Malays still powerful under Pakatan rule

By Clara Chooi

November 30, 2011

Hadi said the only one who would lose power under PR rule was Umno. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang yesterday gave PAS’s “guarantee” that Malays would still remain powerful under Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) rule, moving swiftly to counter an Umno leader’s claim that the community would suffer under such a government.

The PAS president said the issue “does not even arise” as the number of seats contested by PR’s non-Malay leaders from DAP and PKR only amounted to about 60 of the 222 parliamentary seats available.

“It is not only a guarantee, but a reality,” Hadi told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

“In Malaysia’s political geography, the number of seats that DAP contests at present are only about 40 out of the 222. How would DAP, even if it wins in all 40, take over? It is not right.

“Plus with PKR, the (non-Malay) seats number to only 60 out of 222 and the rest are Malay seats... so it (Umno’s claim) is something that makes no sense,” he said.

Hadi was commenting on Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan’s warning earlier yesterday that the Malays would lose everything to the Chinese should the country experience a “hung parliament” scenario, such as Australia’s, in the next general election.

Ahmad also accused DAP of disrespecting the royal institution as well as the national language, claiming that even Islam would be “lost” if PR won more seats.

“Say goodbye to Islam, because they (DAP) are agents of Christianisation ... in talking about the Malay agenda we cannot run away from this,” said Ahmad.

Stressing that the threat of “Malays losing power” was very real, Ahmad claimed that the Chinese community was slowly gaining control of the country’s politics and economy.

But Hadi dismissed Ahmad’s remarks as “empty threats”, accusing the deputy minister of using the race card to unite the Malays under Umno.

“The one who loses power if PR makes gains, is Umno. The one who replaces them is us in PAS and PR.

“This is an empty threat... to promote racist sentiments... a statement that is inaccurate as it does not consider Malaysia’s political geography,” he said.

Hadi’s PR colleague, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, yesterday accused Umno of “doing the same as Hitler” by using such threats to win support.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Ahmad’s remarks showed Umno is “still stuck in its racist agenda” and “cultivating a culture of fear” ahead of a general election expected early next year.

Umno is currently holding what is likely to be its last general assembly before a general election expected early next year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is said to need a marked improvement from the last polls to retain his position as only a return of Barisan Nasional’s customary two-thirds majority of Parliament can guarantee he remains in office.

BN ceded 82 federal seats and four state governments to the opposition in the landmark Election 2008.