Penangites wonder how well-intentioned is CNY greeting from all-red state PAS: A ploy to fish for votes?

 

SUCH is the presumption Penangites have on PAS as the state level Islamist party extended a rare trilingual Chinese New Year (CNY) greeting in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin to Chinese community in the DAP-rule state.

But instead of reciprocating with an expression of gratitude to PAS for its kind thoughts, unfazed Penangites tended to harbour suspicion.

“First time in a lifetime wearing red. Why ahh? Is there any hidden agenda? In Penang some more!” jibed a grandma in the comment section to the dismay of PAS hardcore backers who hit back that PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang has a Chinese daughter-in-law.

This prompted one commenter to snub PAS with the latter’s tendency “to liken the Chinese as Zionists who come to conquer Tanah Melayu like what happened to Palestine”.

In defending PAS, one party backer remarked that it has been an annual affair for Hadi and his PAS MP team to extend their CNY greeting to the Chinese community while donning a red attire.

Another remarked that DAP leaders also had their fair share of hidden agenda by having no qualms “wearing a kopiah (skull cap), songkok or even arbitrarily express Islamic dhikr phrases like Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) and Assalamualaikum (peace be upon you).

A presumably DAP backer’s claim that “PAS will become more Chinese than the Chinese” was also shot down by the walaun (diehard PAS supporters) fraternity who clarified that “Chinese is a race while Islam is a religion acknowledged by Allah who is the creator of all races (mankind)”.

After all, CNY is a celebration linked to a particular race as opposed to a religion, hence it is not deemed as contradictory to Islam.

Interestingly, one Malay detractor shunned PAS for having disregarded its official green theme in favour of red just for CNY after which “it would resume its insults against the Chinese”.

Another warned of PAS poor track record in losing defamatory suits, an insinuation that PAS cannot be trusted to govern the country.

Other likened PAS’ CNY greeting to “wayang kulit (puppet show)”, “haram to express CNY greetings” and “very sinful to don Type C’s New Year wear”.

Whatever said and done, one commenter aptly summed up by contending that “snake or no snake in this Horse Year, PAS shouldn’t be forcing itself to extend CNY greetings if it’s insincere in doing so”. 

Based on the August 2023 Penang state election results, PAS has seven state assemblymen in the 40-seat Penang State Legislative Assembly. They are part of the 11-seat Perikatan Nasional (PN) set-up in the state with the remaining four Opposition seats held by Bersatu. – Focus Malaysia