Expel me but not the Orang Asli, Mahfuz tells Kelantan deputy MB

Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar said Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah may chase him out of PAS but the latter shouldn't accord the same kind of treatment when it comes to the state's Orang Asli community.

"Chase me out of PAS, it's okay, but don't end up chasing out the Orang Asli from Kelantan," Mahfuz said in a statement today.

He was responding to Mohd Amar, who yesterday challenged Mahfuz to quit PAS for criticising the party. Mohd Amar is also PAS vice-president.

Mahfuz's sarcastic response targeted the Kelantan government's tussle with the Orang Asli community in Gua Musang which had tried to fight off state-sanctioned logging in their area.

Mahfuz said he was surprised that he had raised Mohd Amar's ire by stating that PAS can no longer cooperate with PKR due to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's refusal to work with any parties that had relations with DAP and Parti Amanah Negara

He said Mohd Amar's response reflected the latter's "gedebe" character, a Kelantanese word describing gangster-like behaviour.

"As a university lecturer and being educated in Islam, he shouldn't adopt an attitude of chasing out members from PAS simply because they criticised the party due to different views with the leadership.

"My hope is that Mohd Amar will not chase out the Orang Asli from Kelantan too as the Orang Asli community disagreed with some of the state government's actions recently.

"Mohd Amar and other PAS leaders shouldn't create the perception that if PAS were to rule the country one day, that it also cannot be criticised," he said.

Mahfuz said his criticism was because he loved the party and that he was only expressing the views of the grassroots.- Mkini