Courtship with DAP, PAS loses ‘Malay-ness’

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims that PAS has stopped subscribing to the Malay culture after joining hands with the Chinese-dominated party.

PETALING JAYA: PAS has cast aside its “Malay-ness” since joining forces with the Chinese-dominated DAP, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Just look at how rudely PAS members behaved towards the Sultan and Regent of Perak, rolling on the road to block the Regent’s car (when Barisan Nasional took control of the state from Pakatan Rakyat in 2009).

“Before making amends with DAP, PAS members held on to their Malay culture. But to support DAP, PAS members have now put this aside. Now, we don’t hear their demands for an Islamic state,” he added.

Mahathir was responding to PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s comment that by working with DAP, PAS had been able to introduce Islam to the party.

Nik Aziz also claimed that since then, DAP had been “converted from ‘over my dead body’ to ‘negotiable’” with regard to PAS’ theocratic goals.

The PAS leader had mentioned this in an interview with Utusan Malaysia last week in response to Mahathir’s scathing criticism against him.

Agreeing with ‘DAP’s father’

Meanwhile, Mahathir also lambasted Nik Aziz again for not objecting to former Singapore premier Lee Kuan Yew’s call for Muslims in the island state to be less rigid about their religious beliefs.

“When DAP’s father (Lee) urged Muslims not to be too strict in observing their faith, Nik Aziz did not reject this because he felt that it was not as bad as Umno’s nationalism.

“So don’t yell at me if I say that Nik Aziz has accepted Lee’s view,” he said in his latest blog posting.

Once again accusing the PAS leader of only being interested in winning elections, Mahathir said Nik Aziz was now calling for Malays to be given priority because they formed the majority in this country.

“It is not the problems faced by the Malays which changed Nik Aziz’s stand towards his own race, but because he needs the Malay votes.

“Meet Nik Aziz, the man who prioritises Malay votes, but does not care about their problems,” he said.

The former premier also slammed the PAS leader for comparing himself to an angel who reprimanded Prophet Muhammad with regard to his critcism against Mahathir.

“I am not a prophet and Nik Aziz is not an angel. We are both ordinary human beings and politicians. A politician’s reprimand done for his political interest cannot be compared to the actions of an angel.

“Furthermore, Nik Aziz had questioned my faith, that is a serious allegation. Wouldn’t a Muslim react angrily if he is labelled an infidel? Wouldn’t Nik Aziz do the same if I call him that?” he asked.

Responding to Nik Aziz’s demand for proof that he had labelled Umno members as infidels, Mahathir said the evidence for this was in the Utusan interview itself.

Mahathir then quoted an excerpt from the interview, where Nik Aziz had said, in referrence to Umno, “rejecting religion for nationalism, what is this called?”.

“So he claims that Umno nationalists reject religion, and then he asks ‘what is this called’. Rejecting religion means becoming an infidel. So Nik Aziz accuses Umno of being an infidel,” said the former premier.

“Does Nik Aziz think that only after saying ‘support PAS’ can one become a Muslim, and before that the person is an infidel? This means Nik Aziz has termed me an infidel as well,” he added. - FMT