Anwar’s Taiwan remarks won’t hurt diplomacy, says Fahmi

 The communications minister also questions PAS’s focus on foreign policy while remaining silent on the Tabung Haji RCI report.

Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks on China and Taiwan were in line with Wisma Putra’s position.

PETALING JAYA:

Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil has rejected PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan’s claim that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent remarks on China and Taiwan could place Malaysia in a difficult diplomatic position.

Fahmi said Malaysia’s position on China and Taiwan had remained consistent since the administration of the late Abdul Razak Hussein and that Anwar’s remarks were in line with the longstanding policy of Wisma Putra, Bernama reported.

“(Takiyuddin’s allegation) is not true. I see two things. First, Malaysia’s position on this issue dates back to the late Tun Abdul Razak’s era, and our position has never changed,” he was quoted as saying at the Program Kenduri Rakyat Madani in Kuala Lumpur today.

“The prime minister only stated what is consistent with Wisma Putra’s position. So there is no change or difference in that regard.”

Takiyuddin had said that there was no issue with Anwar reaffirming Malaysia’s support for the “One China” policy, but questioned his remarks that Taiwan was part of China “full stop”.

The Kota Bharu MP said Anwar’s remarks, made in a recent interview with Al Jazeera, could place Malaysia in a difficult diplomatic position.

Commenting further, Fahmi questioned why PAS was vocal on foreign policy matters but stayed silent on local issues affecting the Muslim community, such as the royal commission of inquiry report on Tabung Haji.

“What I regret is why certain parties, including friends from PAS, comment extensively on matters far removed from us, but on something very close to us, including Tabung Haji, we have not heard a single word from them on the damage revealed in the Tabung Haji RCI report,” he said.

“I hope they can spend more time studying and debating this matter, because they were absent from the (special) Dewan Rakyat (sitting) when the public expected the opposition to debate it.”

The government declassified the RCI report, which examined Tabung Haji’s management, operations and assets from 2014 to 2020, on July 29.

The report found that the true state of Tabung Haji’s finances had been concealed, including losses from troubled investments, and the use of “creative accounting” to justify profit distributions.

Most Perikatan Nasional MPs boycotted the special sitting to protest against Anwar’s absence. Anwar could not attend as he was recovering from surgery.

Yesterday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the issue of wrongdoing at Tabung Haji was being exaggerated to give Malay-Muslims a bad name. - FMT