Mat Sabu: Corrupt leaders are okay for PAS, Umno if they are Muslims

PAS and Umno are only using religious and racial sentiments as their tool to maintain Malay support for their survival, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said today.

Taking a jab at the two opposition parties, Mohamad, in his policy speech at Amanah Convention 2018 in Ipoh, said that both Umno and PAS showed that it was okay for the Malays to support corrupt leaders as long as they are Malays and Muslims.

Citing Quranic surah al-Baqarah verse 148, Mohamad, who is popularly known as Mat Sabu, said Allah has told the believers that there are also non-Muslims who do good and that everybody should strive towards doing good.

"(The verse) means that there are non-Muslims who do good, and Muslims who also do good things (kebaikan), so all should race towards doing good things.

"But, there is this view that we should not support a non-Muslim - though a non-Muslim is a good person - because he will end up in hell.

"And a Muslim, although he is evil, a thief, a robber, we should support him as he will go to heaven.

"This would end up with us having to support robbers as long as they are Muslims and Malays. And this view is what would bring doom (celaka) to our 'bangsa'," Mat Sabu said.

In the past week, opposition parties, particularly PAS and Umno, questioned the Pakatan Harapan government's decision to bring Tabung Haji under Bank Negara Malaysia, which is under the purview of the Finance Ministry headed by non-Muslim minister Lim Guan Eng.

Racial disparity

This was after Tabung Haji was at the centre of a financial scandal, which saw former Umno leaders, including Tabung Haji's former chairperson Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, being investigated for the religious agency's alleged financial misappropriation and losses.

Mat Sabu also told delegates that the Malays and Muslims should accept that their failure to move forward came from their own attitude and mindset, instead of blaming other races.

"How come there are still many Malays and Muslims who could keep quiet, with some even defending the crimes committed in syphoning of our country's treasures, which mostly represented their interests.

"The financial scandals and power abuse that occurred in institutions like Felda, Tabung Haji, Felcra and, of course, 1MDB, should have been the main agenda for those who fight for the Malay struggle and also Muslim leaders.

"They should come forward to criticise this act of treason and work together with the Harapan government to bring changes so that we can get back what had been the rakyat's rights, which mostly also belong to the Malays."

Mat Sabu also warned that racial and religious sentiments played up by PAS and Umno would only make Malays become extremely racist, and eventually lead the country into racial disparity and riots. - Mkini