Is Hadi immune from prosecution?

 

From P Ramasamy

What else is new from PAS president Abdul Awang Hadi?

First, he accused the non-Malays of being at the root of corruption, and now, he is saying that PAS will never cooperate with PH because the component parties are composed of non-believers, racists, bribe-givers and bribe-takers.

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He said that as far as PAS is concerned, there is no such thing as a big tent approach with PH parties, even if some of them are Malay-based.

Taking a dig at DAP, he criticised the concept of Malaysian Malaysia as something alien to Islam and the Malays.

He lamented that the purveyors of this idea should get out of the country because Malays who profess Islam are against this alien and anti-Islamic concept.

Even after a number of police reports have been made against him for labelling non-Malays as the sources of corruption, there is no let-up on his part.

By repeating his extreme remarks, he is challenging the police on whether they dare to arrest and charge him.

It is not that the police have no evidence as his statements (allegedly) fall within the realm of sedition. It is not that the country has no laws. By not moving against Hadi, the police might inadvertently give the impression that some people, especially those in high places, are above the law.

Hadi’s one-sided obsession with corruption among non-Malays seems to have missed the point that PAS is not above corruption. Some leaders might not be the givers, but are certainly the takers.

The allegation that PAS received about RM90 million from 1MDB funds when Najib Razak was in power has yet to be investigated, or the matter closed.

Recently, there were also police reports in Penang for MACC to investigate Hadi for his alleged involvement in accepting money from Umno.

Why is MACC or the police mum on this serious allegation? Is there a thinking that PAS and its leaders are above corruption, or that receivers of corrupt money are not as corrupted as the givers?

If Najib, the former prime minister, can be convicted and jailed, why shouldn’t Hadi be investigated?

PAS is going to be a spent force in Malaysian politics, as time will tell. Given this trajectory, there are attempts to make the party relevant to the Malay-Muslims.

While religion might not be useful to drive a wedge between the Malays and the non-Malays, Hadi, having learnt some lessons from Umno, has resorted to racism to ensure the party’s relevance in GE15.

Are there double standards when it comes to arresting and charging individuals? What makes Hadi an exception to the axiom that no one is above the law?

He even had the temerity to suggest that if non-Malays don’t accept the ways of Malay- Muslims, they are free to leave the country. Asking them to leave if they are not satisfied is treasonous.

Is this not enough for the police to move against him? What else must he do before they spring to action?

The world is watching. - FMT

P Ramasamy is deputy chief minister II of Penang.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.