Media spun my words on 'Muslim-only cabinet', Hadi says

Speaking up for the first time after he was accused of calling for a Muslim-only cabinet, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said he was only trying to explain that Islam is more flexible than other ideologies – but that his words had been deliberately misinterpreted by the media.

“In truth, they are afraid of Islam’s influence in capturing not the country, but the hearts of people.

“To me, Malaysians can accept all kinds of ideologies imported from the West, whether liberal capitalism, socialism, or even taking up arms to fight for communism.

“They are willing. So why can’t they accept Islam as an alternative – Islam that had once ruled a country with more flexibility,” he said in a speech at PAS headquarters today, where he launched the PAS Pilihanku 2.0 membership recruitment drive.

In the US, he said, the Democratic and Republican parties fill the cabinet with their own members when they become the ruling party, adding that the same also applies in European cabinets.

Moreover in the US, he said the ruling party would go as far as appointing its supporters to fill senior positions in the civil service.

In contrast, he said, Islam is open to appointing non-Muslims to use their expertise, including as state exco members, though only as policy implementers. He insisted that policymakers must still be Muslims.

Previously, New Straits Times quoted Hadi calling for a Muslim-only cabinet, which was based on the PAS president’s column in party organ Harakah Daily on Dec 22.

Several groups such as DAP, MCA, and the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) had condemned Hadi over the matter, saying that a Muslim-only cabinet is unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Several PAS leaders came to Hadi’s defence, however, such as information chief Nasrudin Hassan, who said the Muslim-only rule is not absolute and applies to certain ministries.

Hadi’s press secretary Abdul Malik Razak had also urged the New Straits Times and its reporter who wrote the report to apologise.- Mkini