PAS slams Pua, links 'untactful' remarks to wider racial tensions

 

PAS is seeing red over DAP veteran Tony Pua’s latest remarks touching on the royal institution, drawing parallels with recent racially linked incidents, which it said can further add to the polarisation of society.

Its secretary-general, Takiyuddin Hassan, said Pua’s remarks should not be viewed in isolation but as part of a wider pattern of issues that risk undermining national unity.

The issues include the government’s recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the use of Chinese language in an official government document, and debates surrounding pig farming in Selangor.

“At the same time, the attitude of rejecting or questioning royal decrees and advice while hiding behind constitutional sovereignty or interpretations of the concept of constitutional monarchy when they do not suit one’s preferences and interests, but accepting and upholding them when they align with one’s own wishes, only exposes a person’s hypocrisy and opportunism rather than demonstrating patriotism or respect for the law and its sovereignty.

“Taken separately, these issues may be regarded and managed as administrative or policy matters.

“However, when they are debated in an emotionally charged, confrontational, and politicised environment, they collectively contribute to growing public unease, diminishing mutual trust, and worsening existing polarisation,” he said in a statement.

Worsening public unrest

According to Takiyuddin (above, left), the former Damansara MP’s tactless response to Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s decree about pig farming contributes to the worsening of public unrest.

This only creates another unnecessary controversy during a time when the racial temperature is already at a high level, he added.

“PAS believes that any response or statement involving the Malay royal institution must be made with utmost care, decorum, and respect befitting the constitutional, historical, and cultural status and role played by the Malay rulers as pillars of the nation’s stability and sovereignty within the framework of Malaysia’s democratic system,” Takiyuddin said.

The Islamist party’s statement came in response to Pua’s Facebook post, where he asserted that the monarchs are bound by the constitutional system and can’t issue binding decrees to legislate all aspects of people’s lives.

This came after Sultan Sharafuddin advised all state assemblypersons to visit the newly installed Rukun Negara monument plaque, particularly addressing Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Wong Siew Ki and former Selangor exco Ronnie Liu.

Wong was caught in the controversy after suggesting that pig farming in Selangor adopt modern farming methods, following the sultan’s February decree that all such activities be banned from the state. Liu then defended Wong in the ensuing backlash against her.

Police are investigating Pua over his remarks on the royal institution and the Rukun Negara, after receiving 28 police reports against the former DAP lawmaker thus far. - Mkini